Platinum oxide formation under oxygen evolution reaction conditions

Jacobse L, Schuster R, Kohantorabi M, Dolling DS, Pfrommer J, Deng X, Weber T, Gutowski O, Dippel AC, Brummel O, Lykhach Y, Noei H, Over H, Libuda J, Vonk V, Stierle A (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Nature Communications Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications

Book Volume: 17

Article Number: 4368

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72954-z

Abstract

Electrocatalyst degradation, often caused by oxidative processes, forms a large barrier for the wide-spread application of electrolysers and fuel cells, which are crucial for a sustainable energy society. A detailed understanding of the catalyst surface structure under oxygen evolution reaction (OER) conditions is, therefore, required to design more stable catalysts. Here, we study the oxidation of a Pt(111) model electrode under operando conditions combining High-Energy Surface X-ray Diffraction (HE-SXRD) with a Rotating Disk Electrode (RDE) in a unique experimental setup. This approach allows us to follow the atomic structure of the electrode-electrolyte interface under oxygen evolution reaction conditions under hitherto unexplored potential regimes. We find that the Pt(111) surface gets electro-oxidized in a layer-by-layer fashion. From ex situ X-ray Reflectivity (XRR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements we find that a sub-nm thick, PtO2 oxide film is forming, which deactivates the surface and leads to surface roughening. Our results provide important insights into the electrochemical oxidation of platinum electrocatalysts and resolves crucial differences to thermal oxidation processes.

Authors with CRIS profile

Ralf Schuster Lehrstuhl für Katalytische Grenzflächenforschung Olaf Brummel Lehrstuhl für Katalytische Grenzflächenforschung Yaroslava Lykhach Lehrstuhl für Katalytische Grenzflächenforschung Jörg Libuda Lehrstuhl für Katalytische Grenzflächenforschung

Involved external institutions

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY DE Germany (DE) Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Jacobse, L., Schuster, R., Kohantorabi, M., Dolling, D.S., Pfrommer, J., Deng, X.,... Stierle, A. (2026). Platinum oxide formation under oxygen evolution reaction conditions. Nature Communications, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72954-z

MLA:

Jacobse, Leon, et al. "Platinum oxide formation under oxygen evolution reaction conditions." Nature Communications 17.1 (2026).

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