Premium
A Versatile In‐Situ Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectro‐electrochemical Approach for Electrocatalyst Research
Author(s) -
Neukermans Sander,
Samanipour Mohammad,
Vincent Ching H. Y.,
Hereijgers Jonas,
Van Doorslaer Sabine,
Hubin Annick,
Breugelmans Tom
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.202001193
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , electron paramagnetic resonance , materials science , electrode , electrolysis , catalysis , electrochemistry , polyethylene terephthalate , tin , characterization (materials science) , indium tin oxide , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , chemistry , thin film , nuclear magnetic resonance , organic chemistry , composite material , physics , engineering , electrolyte , metallurgy
Abstract Empirical electrocatalyst research generally consists of the synthesis and experimental characterization of catalysts and the analysis of electrolysis products by conventional analytical techniques. In‐situ electron paramagnetic resonance spectro‐electrochemistry provides an evidence‐based in‐depth understanding of the formed intermediates and the reaction mechanism enabling the desired tuning of electrocatalysts. The use of this technique has been underexploited because of the opposite requirements they impose on the conventional setup. In this work, a versatile electrode with commercially available indium tin oxide on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was constructed for the first time which can fit inside commonly used flat cells. It allows reproducible electrodeposition of catalytic material combined with sensitive radical detection, owing to its large surface area and minimal disruption to the resonator's Q‐factor. Moreover, with a resistivity of 8–10 Ω sq −1 , the surface potential of the thin semiconductor electrode within the resonator was well‐controlled, allowing targeted radical production.