Proton and molecular permeation through the basal plane of monolayer graphene oxide.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer a prospect of membranes that combine negligible gas permeability with high proton conductivity and could outperform the existing proton exchange membranes used in various applications including fuel cells. Graphene oxide (GO), a well-known 2D material, facilitates rapid proton transport along its basal plane but proton conductivity across it remains unknown. It is also often presumed that individual GO monolayers contain a large density of nanoscale pinholes that lead to considerable gas leakage across the GO basal plane.

Proton transport through nanoscale corrugations in two-dimensional crystals.

Defect-free graphene is impermeable to all atoms and ions under ambient conditions. Experiments that can resolve gas flows of a few atoms per hour through micrometre-sized membranes found that monocrystalline graphene is completely impermeable to helium, the smallest atom. Such membranes were also shown to be impermeable to all ions, including the smallest one, lithium.

Multiscale Electrochemistry of Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMnO): From Single Particles to Ensembles and Degrees of Electrolyte Wetting.

Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) facilitates single particle measurements of battery materials using voltammetry at fast scan rates (1 V s), providing detailed insight into intrinsic particle kinetics, otherwise obscured by matrix effects. Here, we elucidate the electrochemistry of lithium manganese oxide (LiMnO) particles, using a series of SECCM probes of graded size to determine the evolution of electrochemical characteristics from the single particle to ensemble level. Nanometer scale control over the SECCM meniscus cell position and height further allows the study of variable particle/substrate electrolyte wetting, including comparison of fully wetted particles (where contact is also made with the underlying glassy carbon substrate electrode) vs partly wetted particles.

Fast Li-ion Storage and Dynamics in TiO Nanoparticle Clusters Probed by Smart Scanning Electrochemical Cell Microscopy.

Anatase TiO is a promising material for Li-ion (Li ) batteries with fast charging capability. However, Li (de)intercalation dynamics in TiO remain elusive and reported diffusivities span many orders of magnitude. Here, we develop a smart protocol for scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) with in situ optical microscopy (OM) to enable the high-throughput charge/discharge analysis of single TiO nanoparticle clusters.

Screening the Surface Structure-Dependent Action of a Benzotriazole Derivative on Copper Electrochemistry in a Triple-Phase Nanoscale Environment.

Copper (Cu) corrosion is a compelling problem in the automotive sector and in oil refinery and transport, where it is mainly caused by the action of acidic aqueous droplets dispersed in an oil phase. Corrosion inhibitors, such as benzotriazole (BTAH) and its derivatives, are widely used to limit such corrosion processes. The efficacy of corrosion inhibitors is expected to be dependent on the surface crystallography of metals exposed to the corrosion environment.