Interface sensitivity in electron/ion yield X-ray absorption spectroscopy: The TiO2–H2O interface

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02115

Authors: Matthijs A. Van Spronsen (Diamond Light Source; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) , Xiao Zhao (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; University of California, Berkeley) , Maximilian Jaugstetter (Ruhr-University-Bochum) , Carlos Escudero (ALBA Synchrotron Light Source) , Tomas Duchon (Peter Grünberg Institute PGI-6, Forschungszentrum Jülich) , Adrian Hunt (National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory) , Iradwikanari Waluyo (National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory) , Peidong Yang (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; University of California, Berkeley) , Kristina Tschulik (Ruhr-University-Bochum) , Miquel B. Salmeron (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; University of California, Berkeley)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: The Journal Of Physical Chemistry Letters

State: Published (Approved)
Published: October 2021

Abstract: To understand corrosion, energy storage, (electro)catalysis, etc., obtaining chemical information on the solid–liquid interface is crucial but remains extremely challenging. Here, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is used to study the solid–liquid interface between TiO2 and H2O. A thin film (6.7 nm) of TiO2 is deposited on an X-ray-transparent SiNx window, acting as the working electrode in a three-electrode flow cell. The spectra are collected based on the electron emission resulting from the decay of the X-ray-induced core-hole-excited atoms, which we show is sensitive to the solid–liquid interface within a few nm. The drain currents measured at the working and counter electrodes are identical but of opposite sign. With this method, we found that the water layer next to anatase is spectroscopically similar to ice. This result highlights the potential of electron-yield XAS to obtain chemical and structural information with a high sensitivity for the species at the electrode–electrolyte interface.

Journal Keywords: Interfaces; Oxides; Liquids; Electrodes; Electrochemical cells

Subject Areas: Chemistry

Facility: 23-ID-2 (IOS) at National Synchrotron Light Source II; 8.0.1 at Advanced Light Source

Added On: 18/10/2021 08:20

Documents:
acs.jpclett.1c02115.pdf

Discipline Tags:

Physical Chemistry Chemistry

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