Stability study of silver nanoparticles towards the halide electroreduction

The field of electrosynthesis has undergone a tremendous advancement in the past few decades by implementation of a catalyst at the nanoscale level. While significant knowledge on factors that influence the activity of specific reactions such as carbon-halogen (CX) bond activation has been gained, many questions regarding the stability and degradation of nanoparticles still remain unsolved. Through the combination of a three-folded advanced characterization approach that combines electrochemical, analytical and microscopic results we are for the first time able to map the degradation of nanoparticles for CX bond activation reaction. This methodology is exemplified on the stability study of the most active nanoparticles towards CX bond activation, namely Ag nanoparticles. Results indicate that under electrochemical operation conditions Ag nanoparticles degradation occurs via two mechanisms: (i) agglomeration/coalescence and (ii) electrochemical dissolution of nanoparticles in the electrolyte. Identification of these degradation mechanisms is a first step in the understanding and subsequently controlling the synthesis of active and sustainable catalyst towards industrial applications.