In Situ Characterization of Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis of Silver Salt Oxide on a Wireless Nanopore Electrode.

ABSTRACT

Silver salt oxide shows superior oxidation ability for the applications of superconductivity, sterilization, and catalysis. However, due to the easy decomposition, the catalytic properties of silver salt oxide are difficult to characterize by conventional methods. Herein, we used a closed-type wireless nanopore electrode (CWNE) to in situ and real-time monitor the electrocatalytic performance of Ag7NO11 in the oxygen evolution reaction. The real-time current recording revealed that the deposited Ag7NO11 on the CWNE tip greatly enhanced the oxidative capacity of the electrode, resulting in water splitting. The statistical event analysis reveals the periodic O2 bubble formation and dissolution at the Ag7NO11 interface, which ensures the characterization of the oxygen evolution electrocatalytic process at the nanoscale. The calculated kcat and Markov chain modeling suggest the anisotropy of Ag7NO11 at a low voltage may lead to multiple catalytic rates. Therefore, our results demonstrate the powerful capability of CWNE in direct and in situ characterization of gas-liquid-solid catalytic reactions for unstable catalysts.