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Catalysis at Bimetallic Electrochemical Interfaces

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Model Systems in Catalysis

Abstract

The need to understand the key structure/composition relationships governing the electrocatalytic behavior of metal surfaces continues to motivate fundamental studies of surface processes at the solid-liquid interfaces. Although the field is still in its infancy, a great deal is already known and trends are beginning to emerge that give new insight into the true relationship between the surface structure/composition and electrocatalytic activity. In this chapter, we will describe how by systematic variation of surface crystallography and/or surface composition of bimetallic surfaces, very important electrocatalytic trends are delineated. Structure/composition-function relationships are established by utilizing in situ surface-sensitive probes and vibrational spectroscopy, which in combination with ex situ ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) techniques and classical electrochemical methods, provide a link between the macroscopic kinetic rate of the reaction and the microscopic properties at the electrified metal-solution interface. The preponderance of electrocatalytic reactions discussed in this chapter are those related to the development of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell technology, viz. the oxygen reduction reaction, hydrogen reaction, and oxidation of COb. We demonstrate that the ability to make a controlled and well-characterized arrangement of atoms on the surface and/or the near-surface region, heralds a new era of advances in our knowledge of electrochemical reactions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge collaborators who were an integral part of the work described in this chapter: Philip Ross, Chris Lucas, Hubert Gasteiger, Thomas Schmidt, Matthias Arenz, Berislav Blizanac, Karl Mayrhofer, and Simon Mun. This work was supported by the contract (DE-AC02-06CH11357) between the University of Chicago and Argonne, LLC, and the US Department of Energy.

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  1. Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA

    Vojislav R. Stamenkovic & Nenad M. Markovic

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  1. Vojislav R. Stamenkovic
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  2. Nenad M. Markovic
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Correspondence to Nenad M. Markovic .

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  1. Dept. Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 16802-4400, U.S.A.

    Robert Rioux

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Stamenkovic, V.R., Markovic, N.M. (2010). Catalysis at Bimetallic Electrochemical Interfaces. In: Rioux, R. (eds) Model Systems in Catalysis. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-98049-2_3

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