Bipolar electrodes for rapid screening of electrocatalysts

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrocatalyst screening is crucial for developing efficient energy conversion devices.
• Current screening methods can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.
• Novel, rapid screening techniques are needed to accelerate materials discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid screening method for electrocatalyst candidates.
• To establish a direct correlation between electrocatalyst activity and a measurable signal.
• To enable high-throughput evaluation of materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).

Main Methods:

• Utilized bipolar electrodes (BPEs) for simultaneous electrochemical reactions.
• Activated the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathodic pole.
• Induced silver (Ag) electrodissolution at the anodic pole, coupled to ORR activity.
• Employed optical microscopy for post-electrochemical analysis of Ag dissolution patterns.

Main Results:

• Developed a screening method with a total duration of approximately 12 minutes.
• Demonstrated that Ag electrodissolution extent directly correlates with ORR activity.
• Established a permanent, optically readable record of catalyst performance.
• Showcased the potential for quantitative assessment of electrocatalyst activity.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a rapid and efficient approach for screening electrocatalyst arrays.
• Simultaneous ORR and Ag dissolution on BPEs provides a reliable metric for catalyst activity.
• This technique has significant potential to accelerate the discovery and optimization of new electrocatalysts.