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Techniques in catalysis

Feeling the weight

Nature Catalysis volume 5, pages 852–853 (2022)Cite this article

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In the context of probing electrocatalytic systems, quartz crystal microbalance measurements, initially developed in 1959, provided the base for measuring mass changes at the electrode–electrolyte interface under reaction conditions.

As the applications of electrochemistry in energy research are growing, researchers are recognizing the dynamic behaviour of electrocatalysts under reaction conditions. The need to capture this behaviour is key to develop a comprehensive understanding of the reaction processes and to design improved systems. The drive to visualize electrocatalysts’ transient behaviour and visualize various reaction intermediates has often been met through the translation of techniques such as X-ray absorption and vibrational spectroscopies to electrochemical systems to probe them during the reaction. Each of these methods provides specific insights such as electronic structure or surface intermediates, which can be used to piece together a comprehensive picture of the reaction process.

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Fig. 1: Illustration and applications of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Nikolay Kornienko

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  1. Nikolay Kornienko
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Correspondence to Nikolay Kornienko.

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Kornienko, N. Feeling the weight. Nat Catal 5, 852–853 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-022-00860-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-022-00860-w

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