Platinum Oxide Growth on Pt/C Fuel Cell Catalysts Using Asymmetric Scan Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Nanogravimetry

Interfacial structure of atomically flat polycrystalline Pt electrodes and modified Sauerbrey equation

The electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance (EQCN) measures in situ mass changes associated with interfacial electrode processes. Real electrodes are not atomically flat, thus their surface roughness affects the conversion of frequency variations (Δf) to mass changes (Δm) associated with electrochemical processes. Here, we analyze Δm associated with the electrochemical H adsorption/desorption and surface oxide formation/reduction on Pt electrodes of gradually increasing surface roughness using the EQCN and cyclic-voltammetry in an aqueous H₂SO₄ solution. These two interfacial processes are ideal to probe changes in the electrochemically active surface area. The surface roughness of Pt-coated resonators is fine-tuned through Pt electrodeposition and examined using atomic force microscopy. The results acquired using Pt electrodes of increasing roughness factor (1.61 ≤ R ≤ 13.0) reveal a linear relationship between Δm and R. Extrapolation of this relationship to R = 1.00 leads to the determination of Δm associated with H adsorption/desorption and oxide formation/reduction on an atomically flat polycrystalline Pt electrode. The values of Δm associated with these processes are analyzed in terms of the number of H, O, water, and ionic species interacting with each Pt atom of the electrode surface. We find that the charge densities associated with these electrochemical processes and mass variations do not scale up by the same factor. This leads to a modified version of the Sauerbrey equation for Pt electrodes, which takes into account the intrinsic surface roughness.

Influence of the Surface Roughness of Platinum Electrodes on the Calibration of the Electrochemical Quartz-Crystal Nanobalance

The electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance (EQCN) is an in situ technique that measures mass changes (Δm) associated with interfacial phenomena. Analysis of Δm sheds light on the mass balance (in addition to the charge and energy balances) and provides new insight into the nature of electrochemical processes. The EQCN measures changes in frequency (Δf) of a quartz-crystal resonator, which are converted into Δm using the Sauerbrey equation containing the characteristic constant (C_f). The value of C_f is determined by physical parameters of the crystal and refers to an atomically smooth surface. However, real resonators are not smooth and electrodes have their intrinsic roughness. Thus, the conversion of Δf to Δm should be done using an experimentally determined characteristic constant (C_f,exp) for a given value of the surface roughness factor (R). Here, we calibrate the system using Ag electrodeposition on Pt electrodes of gradually increasing R; the latter is adjusted through Pt electrodeposition. The surface morphology of the Pt substrates prior to and after Ag electrodeposition is examined using atomic force microscopy. The values of C_f,exp are determined by analyzing the slopes of charge density versus Δf plots for the Ag electrodeposition. They are different than C_f and increase logarithmically with R. The C_f and C_f,exp values are used in a comparative analysis of the mass changes (δΔm) for complete cyclic voltammetry profiles covering the 0.05-1.40 V range. This reveals that the employment of C_f instead of C_f,exp provides inaccurate values of δΔm, and the magnitude of the discrepancy increases with R.

Highly Active and Stable Pt-Pd Alloy Catalysts Synthesized by Room-Temperature Electron Reduction for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Carbon-supported platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) alloy catalyst has become a promising alternative electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this work, the synthesis of highly active and stable carbon-supported Pt-Pd alloy catalysts is reported with a room-temperature electron reduction method. The alloy nanoparticles thus prepared show a particle size around 2.6 nm and a core-shell structure with Pt as the shell. With this structure, the breaking of O-O bands and desorption of OH are both promoted in electrocatalysis of ORR. In comparison with the commercial Pt/C catalyst prepared by conventional method, the mass activity of the Pt-Pd/C catalyst for ORR is shown to increase by a factor of ≈4. After 10 000-cycle durability test, the Pt-Pd/C catalyst is shown to retain 96.5% of the mass activity, which is much more stable than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Limits of Detection and Quantification of Electrochemical Quartz-Crystal Nanobalance in Platinum Electrochemistry and Electrocatalysis Research

The electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance has been used in electrochemistry research for over three decades. It provides an atomic/molecular level insight into the nature of interfacial electrochemical phenomena by measuring in situ mass changes on the nanogram scale. The sensitivity of this technique remains unknown because there have been no attempts to determine its limits of detection (LOD) or quantification (LOQ). We propose an experimental approach for determining the values of LOD and LOQ for Pt electrodes in aqueous H₂SO₄ solutions that employs cyclic voltammetry and frequency variation measurements. However, this methodology is also appropriate to other electrode materials and electrolytes. The LOD and LOQ values depend on the electrolyte concentration and decrease (i.e., the sensitivity increases) as the concentration decreases. Knowledge of the LOD and LOQ values determines the applicability of this technique in research on the oxidation and degradation of Pt catalysts employed in fuel cells.