Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 45: Solid-Liquid Interfaces II: Reactions and Electrochemistry

O 45.4: Talk

Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 11:30–11:45, WIL C107

In-situ STM imaging of self-activated CO oxidation on Cu(111) electrocatalysts — Andrea Auer¹, Eva-Maria Wernig¹, Xing Ding², Aliaksandr Bandarenka², Nicolas Hörmann³, Karsten Reuter³, and •Julia Kunze-Liebhäuser¹ — ¹Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria — ²Physics of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany — ³Theoretical Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a key intermediate in the electro-oxidation of energy carrying fuels. In this work, the ability of Cu(111) single crystals to electrochemically oxidize CO at low overpotentials is reported. In-situ infrared spectroscopy confirms weak adsorption of CO on Cu(111) as well as its oxidation to CO₂. Electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM) reveals that during CO oxidation the Cu(111) surface reconstructs and concomitantly adsorbs OH, while forming low-dimensional Cu nanostructures that are effectively stabilized through the presence of CO. Therefore, CO itself activates the (111) surface of Cu and enhances its own oxidation. The potential of maximum entropy which is closely associated with the potential of zero charge (pzc) has been determined for Cu(111) and correlated with the corresponding surface structures through EC-STM studies. In combination with DFT calculations that include the effects of applied potential and the solvent environment, this helps to achieve a true atomistic understanding of the interfacial structures and the electrocatalytic activity.