Work

Probing Electrocatalytic Gas Evolution Reaction at Pt by Force Noise Measurements. Part 2. Oxygen

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Understanding O 2 bubble nucleation and growth during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial to comprehend their influence on the location and distribution of catalytically active sites in the process. To achieve this goal, mapping the spatial variation of nanoscale dynamic individual steps at the electrocatalytic interfaces is vital, as it further enables a detailed understanding of the mechanism of the process. Here, we combine tapping mode AFM imaging with a Pt ultramicroelectrode to investigate oxygen bubble nucleation, growth, and detachment. Our AFM feedback error signal and topography data reveal that O 2 gas bubbles nucleate at step-edge sites and interact with catalytically active sites. This interaction between primary catalytic sites and bubble nucleation sites is the main reason for a decrease in the current density at a given high overpotential of the OER. Our findings advance the understanding of the complexity of phenomena involved in electrolytic gas evolution reactions on catalytic surfaces.

Source: The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c03776

Authors: Nataraju Bodappa, Gregory Jerkiewicz, Peter Grutter

Institutions: McGill University, Queen's University

Language: English

Topic: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: green

Funders: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, National Research Council Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies