Influence of Sulfonates on the Interfacial Ion Transfer Kinetics of Cu at Au(111) Surfaces

Abstract

Corrosion reactions profoundly impact the operational stability of various electrochemical components, such as electrocatalysts, conductive supports, and semiconducting light absorbers. Understanding the kinetics of ion transfer at electrode/electrolyte interfaces is crucial for deciphering the durability of copper-containing electrochemical devices. This study investigates the corrosion and deposition behavior of copper adlayers on gold(111) surfaces in sulfate and sulfonate electrolytes, with a focus on adsorption kinetics influenced by anion structure and Lewis acidity. At low scan rates, the adsorption and desorption capacitance of the broad adsorption region previously assigned to random adsorption of Cu on Au(111) surface in sulfuric acid, were nearly symmetric in E and invariant with ν, indicating reversible kinetics across all four electrolytes. At faster scan rates, the experiments reveal distinct adsorption/desorption responses for different anions, shedding light on the interplay between ion transfer kinetics, corrosion rates, and the microenvironment of electrocatalysts. The results provide valuable insights into the fundamental processes governing interfacial ion transfer and offer implications for the design and optimization of electrochemical systems. Figure 1