Activity of Electrosprayed Solid-Acid Nanostructures Measured by In-Situ Electrochemical Atomic Force Microscopy

Conducting atomic force microscopy (AFM), combined with cyclic voltammetry offers many advantages for measuring electrode kinetics in fuel cell systems. The use of a conducting AFM probe as a nanoelectrode eliminates the need for a reference electrode, enabling isolation and characterization of a single electrode-electrolyte interface. The feasibility of using a nanoscale probe as a fuel cell electrode has been examined for the polymer electrolyte membrane system at room temperature [1-2], and in addition, for the solid acid electrolyte system [3]. This technique, furthermore, permits studies of the spatial dependence of mechanistic phenomena while providing controllable electrode-electrolyte contact areas.