Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Copper is an active electrocatalyst for various energy conversion reactions, but its performance depends on the structure of the active surface sites. In this work, we propose a simple strategy to tailor both the roughness and the active site's geometry of copper. To modify the surface of copper, we oxidize and reduce a copper polycrystalline electrode in 0.1 M solutions containing both sodium fluoride and sodium chloride with different chloride/fluoride molar ratios: (0.1‐x) M NaF+x M NaCl. To address the anion effect on the changes in surface geometry, we recorded the voltammetric fingerprints of the modified electrodes using lead underpotential deposition (UPD). The voltammetric analysis suggested that while chloride induces (n10) sites, fluoride promotes an increase in the active surface area and the growth of low‐coordinated sites with (110) or (111) geometry. Solutions containing both fluoride and chloride anions induced (n10) motifs covered by nanometric clusters, as observed by scanning electron microscopy, forming a highly defect‐rich surface. Our work provides a direct link between electrochemical response and ex‐situ structural characterization, and compares, in detail, the effect of chloride and fluoride on the surface nanostructuring of copper.
Source: ChemElectroChem
Institutions: University of Copenhagen, Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia de la Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Wageningen University & Research, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
Funder: Villum Fonden
Awards: G4554464108, G7868920857
OpenAlex ID: W4402518097