ATR-SEIRAS Studies of Alkaline Solutions at the Electrochemical Interface

Studies of the electrochemical interface is an area of great interest, and the interaction of water with metal electrodes is of particular importance. Previous work using infrared spectroscopy has studied the reorientation of water near the electrode surface as a function of potential; however, there is little consensus in the interpretation of these results and similar studies in alkaline solutions are lacking. In this study, we employ attenuated total reflectance – surface enhanced infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) to explore the discrepancies between previous studies at low and moderate pHs, and extend these studies to the higher pH range. ATR-SEIRAS studies of CO adsorption were used to determine the potential of zero charge in each solution in order to ensure the region of greatest interest was probed during water orientation studies. Additionally, we examine the effect of various organic and inorganic cations on water at the electrochemical interface.