AVS 61st International Symposium & Exhibition
    In-Situ Spectroscopy and Microscopy Focus Topic Wednesday Sessions
       Session IS+2D+MC+NS+SP+SS-WeA

Paper IS+2D+MC+NS+SP+SS-WeA10
Operando APXPS of the Liquid-Solid Interface: Au Oxidation

Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 5:20 pm, Room 313

Session: In-Situ Scanning Microscopy
Presenter: Ethan Crumlin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Authors: E.J.C. Crumlin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
S.A. Axnanda, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
P.N.R. Ross, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Z.L. Liu, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
Interfaces play an important role for many reaction processes and are essential for electrochemistry. Electrochemical systems ranging from high temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) to lithium ion batteries to capacitors have a wide range of important interfaces between solids, liquids, and gases which play a pivotal role in how energy is stored, transferred, and/or converted. Previous capabilities of ambient pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (APXPS) have primarily only been able to observe the gas-solid and gas-liquid interfaces. However, recent enhancements now enable new APXPS systems to work at pressures larger then 20 Torr, and utilize ‘Tender’ X-rays (2.5 – 7 keV). These features provide new capabilities and opportunities for probing the liquid-solid and solid-solid interfaces. Using synchrotron X-rays at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Advanced Light Source and our ‘Tender’ X-ray APXPS endstation that is outfitted with various in situ/operando features such as electrical leads to apply electrical potentials and operates at pressures >20 Torr, to observe the liquid-solid interface of a gold foil electrode that has been immersed and partially removed from a liquid electrolyte. This talk will provide details on how we used this technique to probe liquid-solid interface and in real-time observe the oxidation of the gold foil electrode under varying applied potentials and different electrolyte solutions.