Surface state of nanocrystalline RuO2-based electrocatalysts probed by soft XAFS

摘要: The perspectives of photo-electrochemical solar energy conversion and the development of sustainable chemical technologies attract considerable attention to the topic of electrochemical gas evolution reactions. Conducting oxides with rutile structure such as RuO2, IrO2 and PtO2 present the benchmark electrode materials for electrochemical oxygen and chlorine evolution. In particular, ruthenium oxide is widely used for the anodes in electrolysis and as a co-catalyst in combination with photocatalysts for water splitting. Recent theoretical works [1, 2] on electrocatalytic O2 and Cl2 evolution on rutile-type oxides link the activity to the surface structure of these materials. At the same time it is little known about real structure of the surface layer of nanocrystalline RuO2 materials. The objective of this project is to probe the atomic arrangement in the surface layer by use of soft XAFS and to explore the changes in the …