Molecular-scale insights into the electrical double layer at oxide-electrolyte interfaces

Autor: Chunyi Zhang, Marcos F. Calegari Andrade, Zachary K. Goldsmith, Abhinav S. Raman, Yifan Li, Pablo M. Piaggi, Xifan Wu, Roberto Car, Annabella Selloni
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54631-1
Popis: Abstract The electrical double layer (EDL) at metal oxide-electrolyte interfaces critically affects fundamental processes in water splitting, batteries, and corrosion. However, limitations in the microscopic-level understanding of the EDL have been a major bottleneck in controlling these interfacial processes. Herein, we use ab initio-based machine learning potential simulations incorporating long-range electrostatics to unravel the molecular-scale picture of the EDL at the prototypical anatase TiO2-electrolyte interface under various pH conditions. Our large-scale simulations, capable of capturing interfacial water dissociation/recombination reactions and electrolytic proton transport, provide unprecedented insights into the detailed structure of the EDL. Moreover, the larger capacitance of the EDL under basic relative to acidic conditions, originating from the higher affinity of the cations for the oxide surface, is found to give rise to distinct charging mechanisms on negative and positive surfaces. Our results are validated by the agreement between the computed EDL capacitance and experimental data.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals