TY  - JOUR
AU  - Rodenbücher, Christian
AU  - Chen, Yingzhen
AU  - Wippermann, Klaus
AU  - Kowalski, Piotr M.
AU  - Giesen, Margret
AU  - Mayer, Dirk
AU  - Hausen, Florian
AU  - Korte, Carsten
TI  - The Structure of the Electric Double Layer of the Protic Ionic Liquid [Dema][TfO] Analyzed by Atomic Force Spectroscopy
JO  - International journal of molecular sciences
VL  - 22
IS  - 23
SN  - 1422-0067
CY  - Basel
PB  - Molecular Diversity Preservation International
M1  - FZJ-2021-04745
SP  - 12653 -
PY  - 2021
AB  - Protic ionic liquids are promising electrolytes for fuel cell applications. They would allow for an increase in operation temperatures to more than 100 °C, facilitating water and heat management and, thus, increasing overall efficiency. As ionic liquids consist of bulky charged molecules, the structure of the electric double layer significantly differs from that of aqueous electrolytes. In order to elucidate the nanoscale structure of the electrolyte–electrode interface, we employ atomic force spectroscopy, in conjunction with theoretical modeling using molecular dynamics. Investigations of the low-acidic protic ionic liquid diethylmethylammonium triflate, in contact with a platinum (100) single crystal, reveal a layered structure consisting of alternating anion and cation layers at the interface, as already described for aprotic ionic liquids. The structured double layer depends on the applied electrode potential and extends several nanometers into the liquid, whereby the stiffness decreases with increasing distance from the interface. The presence of water distorts the layering, which, in turn, significantly changes the system’s electrochemical performance. Our results indicate that for low-acidic ionic liquids, a careful adjustment of the water content is needed in order to enhance the proton transport to and from the catalytic electrode
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - 34884462
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000735138100001
DO  - DOI:10.3390/ijms222312653
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/903016
ER  -