Electrochemical nanogravimetric studies of adsorption, deposition, and dissolution processes occurring at platinum electrodes in acid media

Polycrystalline smooth and platinized platinum electrodes have been extensively employed in electrochemistry. It is of utmost importance to gain a deeper insight into the processes occurring during their electrochemical transformations. Piezoelectric nanogravimetry by using electrochemical quartz crystal nanobalance (EQCN) is one of the most powerful tools for obtaining information on the events occurring at the electrode surface. This method has been exploited to monitor the surface mass changes as a function of the electrode potential varying the experimental conditions (time scale, solution composition, temperature), which allows one to draw conclusions in respect of the formation and removal of adsorbed and deposited species as well as changes in the electrochemical double layer. Furthermore, platinum dissolution processes, which are of importance (e.g., regarding the long-term stability of proton exchange fuel cells), are also discussed.