In situ investigation of dissociation and migration phenomena at the Pt/electrolyte interface of an electrochemical cell

The development of efficient energy conversion systems requires precise engineering of electrochemical interfaces and thus asks for in situ techniques to probe the structure and the composition of the dynamic electrode/electrolyte interfacial region. This work demonstrates the potential of the near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAPXPS) for in situ studies of processes occurring at the interface between a metal electrode and a liquid electrolyte. By using a model membrane-electrode assembly of a high temperature phosphoric acid-imbibed proton exchange membrane fuel cell, and combining NAPXPS measurements with the density functional theory, it was possible to monitor such fundamental processes as dissociation and migration of the phosphoric acid within a nanostructured Pt electrode under polarization.