Single-Molecule Imaging of the Electrode/Solution Interface

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Many electrochemical reactions in the energy and environmental fields result in formation of gases at electrode surfaces. These reactions include facilitated formation of hydrogen and oxygen gases from the "splitting" of water, oxidation of methyl and ethyl alcohol in fuel cells, and charging and discharging events in batteries. Despite their importance, the initiation and growth of small gas bubbles on an electrode remain poorly understood due to a lack of proper analysis tools for imaging nanobubbles. To address this challenge, Professor Bo Zhang's laboratory at the University of Washington develops a fluorescence-based electrochemical method to image how and when gas nanobubbles are formed at the electrode/solution interface. The use of this method has the potential to promote the development of cheaper and more efficient facilitators (catalysts) for numerous electrochemical reactions in energy and environmental research. This work provides a set of integrated educational activities and a unique training opportunity for graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students to learn cutting-edge research in electrochemistry and microscopy.With this award, the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program is funding Dr. Bo Zhang at the University of Washington to develop a new electroanalytical method to study nucleation and growth of gas nanobubbles at the electrode/solution interface. By single-molecule labeling and fluorescently imaging single nanobubbles on an electrode, this method yields spatially and temporally-resolved information about gas evolution processes on electrodes that is otherwise unobtainable using many other imaging techniques, such as scanning probe-based electrochemical microscopies. The ability to map nanobubble distribution may provide unique information about catalytic heterogeneity of electrode surfaces, which will help to understand and design new and better catalytic materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.