posted on 2023-01-05, 12:33authored byTadeusz Bak, Turgut M. Gür, Janusz Nowotny
This work reports the capacity of a high-temperature
electron probe
to bridge solid-state chemistry and surface chemistry. This goal could
be accomplished by performing the characterization of the surface
layer in equilibrium with both the gas phase and bulk phase, thus
dealing with a system governed by thermodynamic laws, which is free
of unknown kinetic terms. In this work, we contemplate the use of
the electron probe in surface defect engineering of the next generation
of energy materials, that are expected to enhance the production of
clean energy. The concept of this kind of engineering is considered
for the TiO2-O2 model system. Such example demonstrates
the role of surface segregation in the formation of a quasi-isolated
surface structure, that has a profound impact on the reactivity of
solids and their performance in energy conversion devices. Consequently,
it is essential that studies of the effect of surface defect structure
on the reactivity of solids are conducted in situ and in operando, under conditions of real application.
This is expected to aid directly the rational design of surface properties
in the processing of high-performance energy materials for fuel cells,
solar cells, batteries, catalysts and photo-catalysts, as well as
sensors.