pH-Dependent Hydrogen and Water Binding Energies on Platinum Surfaces as Directly Probed through Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

The origins of the pH-dependent kinetics of hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions on Pt surfaces are unsolved dilemmas that have lasted for over half a century. In this study, surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy is applied to directly monitor the vibrational behaviors of adsorbed hydrogen atoms and interfacial water molecules on Pt surfaces in a wide pH window from 1.1 to 12.9. For the first time, we successfully measure the pH-dependent changes of hydrogen and water binding strength according to their vibrational wavenumbers, which are both monotonously weakened as the solution pH increases. Their changes are the net results of altered electrochemical interface environments and are important contributions to the pH-dependent hydrogen reaction kinetics. Our results add significant new insights into the role of interfacial environments on electrocatalysis.