| AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science Division | Thursday Sessions |
| Session AS-ThP |
| Session: | Applied Surface Science Poster Session |
| Presenter: | Yunfeng Li, University of Maryland, College Park |
| Authors: | P. Wang, University of Maryland, College Park Y.F. Li, University of Maryland, College Park L.N. Wang, University of Maryland, College Park J. Klos, University of Maryland, College Park Z.W. Peng, University of Maryland, College Park N. Kim, University of Maryland, College Park H. Bluhm, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory K.J. Gaskell, University of Maryland, College Park S.B. Lee, University of Maryland, College Park B. Eichhorn, University of Maryland, College Park Y.H. Wang, University of Maryland, College Park |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
A detailed description of the electrical double layer structure formed at the electrode-electrolyte interface is very important for both fundamental understanding in many electrochemical processes and further advancements in energy storage devices. However, the electrical double layer is deeply “buried” by the bulk electrolyte solution, leading to significant signal loss and low detection resolution when measuring the interface structure from the electrolyte side. Here, we report the fabrication of a novel transparent electrode made of a graphene-carbon nanotube hybrid membrane that allows us to detect the electrical double layer from the solid side of the electrode using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The robust and ultrathin nature of the hybrid membrane enables the detection of different elements with excellent photoelectron signals. By in situ monitoring the concentration changes of cations and anions under different local electrical potentials, we experimentally decipher the chemical structure of the electrical double layer, which is consistent with theoretical predictions.