Chalcogenide oxygen reduction reaction catalysis : X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with Ru, Ru/Se and Ru/S samples emersed from aqueous media

Abstract Oxygen reduction Ru/Se and Ru/S fuel cell surface chalcogenide catalysts were prepared via chemical reaction of reduced Ru nanoparticles with selenium and sulfur in xylenes [D. Cao, A. Wieckowski, J. Inukai, N. Alonso-Vante, J. Electrochem. Soc. 153 (2006) A869]. The chalcogenide samples – as well as the starting chalcogens-free Ru nanoparticle material – were immobilized on a gold disk for X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) characterization. While we found oxygen in most of the samples, predominantly from Ru oxides, we conclude that the oxygen on Ru/S may be located in subsurface sites: the subsurface oxygen. We also found that the transformation of the oxidized Ru black to metallic Ru required intensive electrochemical treatment, including hydrogen evolution. In contrast, five cyclic voltammetric scans in the potential range from 0.00 and 0.75 V versus RHE were sufficient to remove the oxygen forms from Ru/Se and, to a large extent, from Ru/S. We therefore conclude that Ru metal is protected against oxidation to Ru oxides by the chalcogens additives. The voltammetric treatment in the 0.00 and 0.75 V range also removed the SeO 2 or SO x forms leaving anionic/elemental Se or S on the surface. Upon larger amplitude voltammetric cycling, from 0.00 to 1.20 V versus RHE, both Se and S were dissolved and the dissolution process was coincidental with the oxygen growth in/on the Ru samples.