% IMPORTANT: The following is UTF-8 encoded. This means that in the presence
% of non-ASCII characters, it will not work with BibTeX 0.99 or older.
% Instead, you should use an up-to-date BibTeX implementation like “bibtex8” or
% “biber”.
@INPROCEEDINGS{Rodenbcher:1024853,
author = {Rodenbücher, Christian and Chen, Yingzhen and Wippermann,
Klaus and Korte, Carsten},
title = {{N}anoscale {I}nvestigations of the {E}lectric {D}ouble
{L}ayer in {P}rotic {I}onic {L}iquids},
issn = {2151-2043},
reportid = {FZJ-2024-02519},
year = {2023},
abstract = {A hydrogen-based energy storage system will be the backbone
of a future energy grid using renewable energies. Polymer
electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are a key element
in this energy system as they convert chemical energy stored
as hydrogen into electrical energy on demand. PEMFC systems,
especially for automotive application, could be
significantly improved by increasing the operation
temperature above 100 °C. Protic ionic liquids are
promising candidates as non-aqueous protic electrolytes for
next-generation high-temperature polymer electrolyte
membrane fuel cells. These fuel cells have a target
operation temperature of 160 °C and allowing for a more
efficient water and heat management compared to conventional
Nafion®-based PEMFCs, which operate at temperatures below
80 °C [1].In order to ensure a reliable and efficient
operation an electrolyte with a high electrochemical
performance and stability has to be selected. For this
purpose, protic ionic liquids have been proposed and first
fuel cell tests have shown promising results [2]. Hence, we
aim on understanding the properties of this class of novel
electrolytes on an atomistic level, which would allow
designing suitable material combinations and predicting
their properties for an efficient fuel cell operation. As
ionic liquids are molten salts, which are liquid below 100
°C, their electrochemical properties differ significantly
from those of aqueous solutions. Instead of a classical
electric double layer, which can be described by the models
provided by Helmholtz, Gouy-Chapman and Stern, the interface
structure formed between the electrolyte and a charged
electrode is governed by the interplay between coulomb
interaction and steric effects between the (large) molecular
ions [3]. In order to understand the formation of this
double layer on a metallic electrode, we employ atomic force
microscopy and infrared spectroscopy in combination with
molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that in the
interface region between the prototype protic ionic liquid
diethylmethylammonium triflate ([Dema][TfO]) and a Pt
electrode, a dense layered structure consisting of
alternating anion and cation layers is present, that extends
several nanometres into the bulk of the electrolyte [4]. The
composition and structure changes with applied potential due
to a preferential attraction of anions or cations depending
on the electrode charge. When water is added to the ionic
liquid, the layered structure becomes distorted and water
molecules appear near the electrode. Since the presence of
water will also influence the relevant electrochemical
processes such as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the
analysis of the double layer structure on an atomistic scale
is necessary in order to understand the subtle interactions
between the molecules in the electrolyte and to propose
design routes for novel more efficient ionic liquid-based
electrolytes.Wippermann, K.; Suo, Y.; Korte, C. Oxygen
Reduction Reaction Kinetics on Pt in Mixtures of
Proton-Conducting Ionic Liquids and Water: The Influence of
Cation Acidity. J. Phys. Chem. C2021, 125, 4423–4435,
doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.0c11374.Skorikova, G.; Rauber, D.;
Aili, D.; Martin, S.; Li, Q.; Henkensmeier, D.; Hempelmann,
R. Protic Ionic Liquids Immobilized in Phosphoric Acid-Doped
Polybenzimidazole Matrix Enable Polymer Electrolyte Fuel
Cell Operation at 200 °C. Journal of Membrane Science2020,
608, 118188, doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118188.Rodenbücher,
C.; Wippermann, K.; Korte, C. Atomic Force Spectroscopy on
Ionic Liquids. Applied Sciences2019, 9, 2207,
doi:10.3390/app9112207.Rodenbücher, C.; Chen, Y.;
Wippermann, K.; Kowalski, P.M.; Giesen, M.; Mayer, D.;
Hausen, F.; Korte, C. The Structure of the Electric Double
Layer of the Protic Ionic Liquid [Dema][TfO] Analyzed by
Atomic Force Spectroscopy. International Journal of
Molecular Sciences2021, 22, 12653,
doi:10.3390/ijms222312653.},
month = {May},
date = {2023-05-28},
organization = {243rd ECS Meeting, Boston (USA), 28
May 2023 - 2 Jun 2023},
cin = {IEK-14},
ddc = {540},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)IEK-14-20191129},
pnm = {1231 - Electrochemistry for Hydrogen (POF4-123)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-1231},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)1},
doi = {10.1149/MA2023-02562718mtgabs},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1024853},
}