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By Dr Pablo Sebastián Fernández, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil
Abstract: Understanding how electrocatalytic reactions affect catalyst structure at the nanoscale remains a major challenge. Here, we use Bragg Coherent Diffraction Imaging (BCDI) to track, for the first time, the strain evolution of a single Pt nanoparticle during the electrooxidation of glycerol in alkaline media. The measurements reveal a clear potential-dependent structural response across the full reaction window. By combining BCDI with ATR-SEIRAS, we establish a direct correlation between strain and the adsorption of reaction intermediates. The results show that adsorbate-induced tensile strain dominates the catalyst response, with strong facet-dependent behavior and mechanical coupling across the particle. These findings demonstrate a dynamic interplay between surface chemistry and catalyst structure, highlighting BCDI as a powerful operando tool for probing electrocatalytic mechanisms at the nanoscale.
Short bio: Dr. Fernandez is an Associate Professor at Unicamp, head of the Campinas Electrochemistry Group (CampEG) and an active member at the Center for Innovation on New Energies (CINE). He was the Director of the Physical Chemistry Division of SBQ (Brazilian Chemical Society, 2020-2022). Since 2020 he is the Brazilian representative of the SIBAE (Ibero-American Society of Electrochemistry). His research focuses on fundamental aspects of electrochemistry and electrocatalysis with an emphasis on the use and development of in situ characterization tools. His current project´s portfolio includes projects aligned with this proposal: i) PI on a FAPESP regular project (~U$S110k), which focus on producing value-added products from glycerol and green hydrogen, ii) PI on a CNPq project (~U$S400k), which focus on the production of green hydrogen on AEM and alkaline electrolyzers.
Hosted by Dr Camilo A. Mesa Zamora & Prof. María Escudero, Nanoelectrocatalysis and sustainable chemistry group.