EC-STM Noise Analysis for an Accurate Distinction of Electrocatalytic Surface Domains under Reaction Conditions

Abstract With increasing CO 2 pollution, the environment around us changes, necessitating our adaptation to these new conditions. A significant milestone in solving the environmental crisis would be the so-called hydrogen economy. However, this concept still faces substantial challenges as the required catalytic reactions show sluggish efficiency behaviors. To develop new generations of active electrocatalysts for those reactions better understanding of the nature of active sites is required. In 2017, Pfisterer et al. [1] demonstrated the power of tunneling current-noise analysis in electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (n-EC-STM) to detect active centers under reaction conditions. In this work, a new analytical tool has been developed to further enhance the distinction of active domains on catalytic surfaces. Additionally, an “activity curve” is introduced to achieve enhanced data representation. Several illustrative examples related to the reactions important for energy provision are presented.