Bridging the Gap in the Mechanistic Understanding of Electrocatalysis via In Situ Characterizations

Arnav S Malkani; Jacob Anibal; Xiaoxia Chang; Bingjun Xu

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2020.101776

Bridging the Gap in the Mechanistic Understanding of Electrocatalysis via In Situ Characterizations

iScience. 2020 Nov 5;23(12):101776. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101776. eCollection 2020 Dec 18.

Authors

Arnav S Malkani¹, Jacob Anibal¹, Xiaoxia Chang¹, Bingjun Xu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
² College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

Abstract

Electrocatalysis offers a promising strategy to take advantage of the increasingly available and affordable renewable energy for the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Attaining this promise requires a molecular level insight of the electrical interface that can be used to tailor the selectivity of electrocatalysts. Addressing this selectivity challenge remains one of the most important areas in modern electrocatalytic research. In this Perspective, we focus on the use of in situ techniques to bridge the gap in the fundamental understanding of electrocatalytic processes. We begin with a brief discussion of traditional electrochemical techniques, ex situ measurements and in silico analysis. Subsequently, we discuss the utility and limitations of in situ methodologies, with a focus on vibrational spectroscopies. We then end by looking ahead toward promising new areas for the application of in situ techniques and improvements to current methods.

Keywords: Chemistry; Electrochemical Energy Conversion; Electrochemistry; Energy Materials; Surface Chemistry.

Publication types

Review