(392c) Promoter Effects in Electrocatalytic Reactions

The conventional approach to changing the performance of catalytic materials is to modify the structure and composition of their active sites. But it is known that modifying the environment around catalytic active sites also has a significant impact on measured performance. In electrocatalysis, the choice of electrolyte ion exerts a considerable influence on measured reaction kinetics. In this talk, we will describe our recent work that attempts to describe under which conditions changing electrolyte cation size will influence measured rates, why the molecular identity of the cation affects surface chemistry, and how these effects can be connected to promoter effects in thermochemical reactions. We hope that a deeper understanding of how changing the environment around active sites influences catalytic activity will provide new tools for improving performance.