From ultra-high vacuum to the electrochemical interface: x-ray scattering studies of model electrocatalysts

In-situ surface X-ray scattering (SXS) has become a powerful probe of the atomic structure at the metal-electrolyte interface. In this paper we describe an experiment in which a Pt(111) sample is prepared under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions to have a p(2 x 2) oxygen layer adsorbed on the surface. The surface is then studied using SXS under UHV conditions before successive transfer to a bulk water environment and then to the electrochemical environment (0.1 M KOH solution) under an applied electrode potential. The Pt surface structure is examined in detail using crystal truncation rod (CTR) measurements under these different conditions. Finally, some suggestions for future experiments on alloy materials, using the same methodology, are proposed and discussed in relation to previous results.