XAS study of NiFe-LDH to study Fe(IV) states during application related potentials and current densities

It is planned to investigate NiFe - layered double hydroxide during electrochemical OER conditions. By application of in-situ X-Ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopy we hope to elucidate the electronic state and structure (XANES) of the catalyst material. EXAFS will be used to compare inter-atomic distances thus giving insight into the local structure of the catalyst. Fe K-edges will be of special interest to investigate the appearance of Fe(IV) species that have been calculated to be present during OER related potentials but have been difficult to detect in previous XAS experiments. A fact that we attribute to the inability to combine high potential and current density experiments with in-situ XAS measurements. We designed a novel in-situ XAS cell for this study, which we will use to obtain industrially relevant current densities and investigate the catalyst under high anodic potentials thus bridging the gap between fundamental research and industrially relevant electrolysis technologies.