Unveiling Key Interface Characteristics of Ni/Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Solid Oxide Cell Electrodes in HO Electroreduction Using Operando X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composites are the most commonly used fuel electrodes for solid oxide cells. While microstructural changes of Ni/YSZ during operational conditions have been thoroughly investigated, there is limited knowledge regarding Ni/YSZ surface chemistry under working conditions. In this study, we examine the interaction between Ni/YSZ electrodes and water vapor under open circuit and polarization conditions, utilizing near ambient pressure soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies.

Interfacial Chemistry in the Electrocatalytic Hydrogenation of CO over C-Supported Cu-Based Systems.

Operando soft and hard X-ray spectroscopic techniques were used in combination with plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) simulations to rationalize the enhanced activities of Zn-containing Cu nanostructured electrocatalysts in the electrocatalytic CO hydrogenation reaction. We show that at a potential for CO hydrogenation, Zn is alloyed with Cu in the bulk of the nanoparticles with no metallic Zn segregated; at the interface, low reducible Cu(I)-O species are consumed. Additional spectroscopic features are observed, which are identified as various surface Cu(I) ligated species; these respond to the potential, revealing characteristic interfacial dynamics.

CO(2)-selective methanol steam reforming on In-doped Pd studied by in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (in situ XPS) was used to study the structural and catalytic properties of Pd-In near-surface intermetallic phases in correlation with previously studied PdZn and PdGa.Room temperature deposition of ∼4 monolayer equivalents (MLEs) of In metal on Pd foil and subsequent annealing to 453 K in vacuum yields a ∼1:1 Pd/In near-surface multilayer intermetallic phase. This Pd(1)In(1) phase exhibits a similar "Cu-like" electronic structure and indium depth distribution as its methanol steam reforming (MSR)-selective multilayer Pd(1)Zn(1) counterpart.