Open AccessProperties of the Pt(111)/electrolyte electrochemical interface studied with a hybrid DFT–solvation approach
Author(s) -
Rebekka Tesch,
Piotr M. Kowalski,
Michael Eikerling
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of physics. condensed matter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.908
H-Index - 228
eISSN - 1361-648X
pISSN - 0953-8984
DOI - 10.1088/1361-648x/ac1aa2
Subject(s) - electrolyte , solvation , interface (matter) , electrochemistry , chemisorption , chemical physics , electrode , materials science , chemistry , aqueous solution , molecule , adsorption , gibbs isotherm , organic chemistry
Self-consistent modeling of the interface between solid metal electrode and liquid electrolyte is a crucial challenge in computational electrochemistry. In this contribution, we adopt the effective screening medium reference interaction site method (ESM–RISM) to study the charged interface between a Pt(111) surface that is partially covered with chemisorbed oxygen and an aqueous acidic electrolyte. This method proves to be well suited to describe the chemisorption and charging state of the interface at controlled electrode potential. We present an in-depth assessment of the ESM–RISM parameterization and of the importance of computing near-surface water molecules explicitly at the quantum mechanical level. We found that ESM–RISM is able to reproduce some key interface properties, including the peculiar, non-monotonic charging relation of the Pt(111)/electrolyte interface. The comparison with independent theoretical models and explicit simulations of the interface reveals strengths and limitations of ESM–RISM for modeling electrochemical interfaces.