02/11/2015: The 100th paper from TongLab

Post date: Feb 11, 2015 3:34:54 PM

A paper entitled "In situ Raman Spectroscopic Measurement of Near-Surface Proton Concentration Changes during Electrochemical Reactions" by Dejun Chen has been published online by Chem Comm for publication and become the 100th peer-reviewed paper from TongLab. The paper reports a novel but simple in situ Raman spectroscopic measurement of near-surface proton concentration changes at commercial Pt black nanoparticle surfaces by using ClO₄^– anion that is part of supporting electrolyte as a molecular reporter as ClO₄^– has a strong single vibrational band at 930 cm^-1. The stringent electroneutrality requirement ensures that [ClO₄^– ]=[H⁺] is satisfied within the time of Raman measurements locally, i.e. near the electrode surface. The method will provide researchers a convenient way to measure near surface pH changes during electrochemically driven reactions as long as HClO₄ is used as the supporting electrolyte and help illustrate the underlying mechanisms.