Electrode-electrolyte interfaces and electrocatalytic kinetics

4 problems

• Origin of alkali cation effects in electrochemical $\mathrm{CO_2}$ reduction

  Contested

  On copper and gold electrodes, $\mathrm{CO_2}$ reduction barely works without metal cations in the solution, and larger cations such as cesium work better than lithium. Why the cation matters so much is unsettled.

• Ab initio structure and capacitance of the metal-water double layer

  Open

  The double layer is a few water molecules thick but its structure sets the voltage felt by reacting molecules. Simulations cannot yet reproduce its measured ability to store charge.

• Why hydrogen evolution on platinum slows down in alkaline solution

  Contested

  Platinum makes hydrogen from water roughly a hundred times more slowly in basic solution than in acid. The reason for this slowdown is still disputed.

• Structure and growth law of the battery solid-electrolyte interphase

  Open

  In lithium-ion batteries the electrolyte partly decomposes on the negative electrode and forms a thin film, the solid-electrolyte interphase, which passes lithium ions but blocks electrons. Its structure and why it keeps slowly thickening set battery lifetime but are known only roughly.