New insights into working nanostructured electrocatalysts through operando spectroscopy and microscopy

One of the biggest challenges in electrocatalysis is unravelling the structural and chemical changes that can occur in complex nanostructured catalyst materials under reaction conditions. Such knowledge is vital for understanding dynamic changes in catalyst reactivity and mechanisms behind catalyst stability or degradation. Due to significant technological developments in recent years, investigations of working electrolyte/electrode interfaces have become increasingly feasible. This review highlights recent results in the use of operando spectroscopy and microscopy tools to unravel the behavior of electrocatalysts under reaction conditions. In particular, insight into the dynamic nature of electrocatalysts and the evolution of their structure and chemical properties under electrochemical reaction conditions will be presented.