电催化产气反应包括析氢、析氧和二氧化碳还原等对可持续能源和环境领域至关重要。气泡在这些电化学反应中会持续产生并对电极和反应效率有显著影响。随着表面检测技术的提升，在电极或催化剂表面发现的纳米级气泡逐渐得到重视。此类单个的微小气泡能够提供微观尺度上电化学反应的定量信息而非宏观的平均结果，可获知单颗粒甚至单分子的反应活性，为发展更精准、灵敏的电化学分析手段带来启发。本项目将发展和应用液相条件下的同步辐射软X射线成像和原位谱学技术，利用其高空间分辨能力和化学元素灵敏的特点，对电催化产气过程中的纳米气泡及周围溶液环境进行探究。我们将通过获取气泡自身和周围溶液的近边吸收谱、荧光发射谱等谱学信息，并结合理论计算和分子动力学模拟，揭示电催化纳米气泡的产生和演化机理，并建立纳米气泡内部气体状态和附近水层结构的理论模型，有望增进对电化学反应中纳米气泡的角色和其特定效应的认知，促进潜在应用的推广。

Electrochemical gas evolution reactions including the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR) are of vital importance for sustainable energy systems and environment applications. Gas bubbles are constantly formed in such reactions and will in return have significant impacts on the electrodes and the efficiency of electrochemical reactions. With the improvement of the surface sensitive techniques, the nanoscale gas bubbles found on the electrode or catalyst surface have revived intensive attentions recently. These individual small bubbles can provide quantitative electrochemical information at a microscopic scale instead of the average results from the bulk, making it possible to probe the activities of single entities or even single molecule. This will also enable methods and tools for more accurate and sensitive electrochemical measurements. In this project, by developing and applying the synchrotron based soft X ray microscopy and spectroscopy techniques in solution which have the high-spatial resolution and elemental sensitivity, we aim to study the nanobubbles emerged in electrochemical gas evolution reactions as well as their solution environments. By acquiring the near edge X-ray absorption fine structure and the fluorescence yield of the nanobubbles and their surrounding liquid, and then combining with theoretical calculations and molecule dynamic simulations, we will be able to reveal the mechanism of the formation and dynamics of the electrochemically generated nanobubbles. Finally we will establish a theoretical model at molecular-level for the gas state inside the bubble and the water structure nearby. This would help understanding the special roles and certain effects of nanobubbles in electrochemistry, and could inspire potential applications.