Interfacial modification using hydrophilic/hydrophobic cations to control both electrochemical activity and stability of platinum electrode. Credit: Masashi Nakamura from Chiba University, edited
Platinum electrodes are crucial for clean power technologies like hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysis. However, the surface oxidation that occurs during such processes degrades catalyst performance and stability. To address this, researchers investigated the mechanisms of surface oxidation on Pt surface in alkaline media, a previously unexplored avenue of research.
The study also included contributions from Dr. Tomoaki Kumeda and Professor Nagahiro Hoshi, both from the Graduate School of Engineering at Chiba University, along with Dr. Osami Sakata from the Center for Synchrotron Radiation Research at Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute.
X-ray CTR revealed that oxide formation results in surface buckling and Pt extraction. SERS and IRAS measurements revealed the potential and cation-dependent formation of three oxide, thus preventing harmful oxide formation, while moderate hydrophilicity of K+ has no protective effect.These results suggest that interfacial cations play an essential role in oxide formation on Pt surfaces, which can be controlled by selecting appropriate cations.