A profound understanding of the Au dissolution process is a prerequisite for optimal utilization of Au-based materials. This goes for either increasing the corrosion stability of materials in the sectors where the long-term functionality of Au is needed or decreasing the corrosion stability where the recovery of the Au component is crucial. By employing an extremely sensitive online analytical system, consisting of an electrochemical flow cell coupled to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, in situ potential-resolved dissolution of Au in the ppb range is enabled. A comparative study of two Au based materials, (i) a polycrystalline Au disk and (ii) carbon-supported Au nanoparticles, is presented. As a probe, chloride ions were used to elucidate the distinct differences in the corrosion behavior of the two analogues.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1538090947
The field of electrosynthesis has undergone a tremendous advancement in the past few decades by implementation of a catalyst at the nanoscale level. While significant knowledge on factors that influence the activity of specific reactions such as carbon-halogen (CX) bond activation has been gained, many questions regarding the stability and degradation of nanoparticles still remain unsolved. Through the combination of a three-folded advanced characterization approach that combines electrochemical, analytical and microscopic results are for the first time able to map the degradation of nanoparticles for CX bond activation reaction. This methodology is exemplified on the stability study of the most active nanoparticles towards CX bond activation, namely Ag nanoparticles. Results indicate that under electrochemical operation conditions Ag nanoparticles degradation occurs via two mechanisms: (i) agglomeration/coalescence and (ii) electrochemical dissolution of nanoparticles in the electrolyte. Identification of these degradation mechanisms is a first step in the understanding and subsequently controlling the synthesis of active and sustainable catalyst towards industrial applications.
COBISS.SI-ID: 6443034