Detail:
Abstract: Gathering molecular-level information about electrochemical interfaces is highly desirable to advance or understanding of - and to ultimately design and control - efficient electrochemical processes that underly a manifold of ‘green’ energy conversion applications, such as fuel cell or sensitised solar cell operation, electrosynthesis and electrocatalysis or physiological electron transfer. Despite the vast interest in solid/liquid surface chemistry, however, advanced in operando experimental (and theoretical) tools that provide quasi-atomistic insight into chemical processes at (electrified) solid/liquid interfaces with nanoscale spatial and real-time chemical resolution are still scarce. In my talk, I will highlight our recent methodological advances with nearfield and nonlinear Raman spectroscopies that allow us to gain precious molecular-level information about, for example, adsorption geometry, chemical interaction and conversion with extreme spatial and temporal resolution. Specifically, I will elucidate how our spectroscopic approaches provide important mechanistic understanding on water transport in fuel cell membrane nanopores and on potential-dependent adsorption geometry and chemical conversion at metal-organic interfaces. As a result, we can suggest novel fabrication strategies for improved fuel-cell membranes and alternative design routes for metal-organic frameworks.
