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  1. Abstract

    The electrical double layer is known to spontaneously form at the electrode‐electrolyte interface, impacting many important chemical and physical processes as well as applications including electrocatalysis, electroorganic synthesis, nanomaterial preparation, energy storage, and even emulsion stabilization. However, it has been challenging to study this fundamental phenomenon at the molecular level because the electrical double layer is deeply “buried” by the bulk electrolyte solution. Here, we report a quantitative probing of the electrical double layer of ionic liquids from the solid side of a photoelectron‐transparent graphene‐carbon nanotube hybrid membrane electrode using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The membrane window is ultrathin (1‐1.5 nm), large (~1 cm2), and robust, enabling a tight seal of the electrolyte and quantitative measurement with excellent photoelectron signals. Byoperandomonitoring the population changes of cations and anions in response to the applied electrical potentials, we experimentally resolve the chemical structure and dynamics of the electrical double layer, which corroborate results from molecular dynamics simulations.

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  2. Abstract

    Distinct properties of multiple phases of vanadium oxide (VOx) render this material family attractive for advanced electronic devices, catalysis, and energy storage. In this work, phase boundaries of VOxare crossed and distinct electronic properties are obtained by electrochemically tuning the oxygen content of VOxthin films under a wide range of temperatures. Reversible phase transitions between two adjacent VOxphases, VO2and V2O5, are obtained. Cathodic biases trigger the phase transition from V2O5to VO2, accompanied by disappearance of the wide band gap. The transformed phase is stable upon removal of the bias while reversible upon reversal of the electrochemical bias. The kinetics of the phase transition is monitored by tracking the time‐dependent response of the X‐ray absorption peaks upon the application of a sinusoidal electrical bias. The electrochemically controllable phase transition between VO2and V2O5demonstrates the ability to induce major changes in the electronic properties of VOxby spanning multiple structural phases. This concept is transferable to other multiphase oxides for electronic, magnetic, or electrochemical applications.

     
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