Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 92: Post-Deadline Session

O 92.3: Talk

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 20:00–20:15, HSZ/AUDI

Icy Electrocatalysis: Unravelling the Electrochemical Dynamics of Platinum in Frozen Aqueous Solutions — •Maren-Kathrin Heubach and Gregory Jerkiewicz — Department of Chemistry, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

What will happen in a fuel cell or an electrolyzer if the temperatures drop below the freezing point of the electrolyte?

This fundamental electrochemical study investigates the electrochemical and electrocatalytic behaviour of polycrystalline Pt in acidic and alkaline media in a temperature range from room temperature to well below the freezing point of the electrolytes (-20 ^∘C). We demonstrate that high-quality electrochemical measurements in frozen electrolytes including cyclic voltammetry and Tafel plots and thermodynamic evaluation of the measurements are possible. Furthermore, we show how the electrochemical behaviour and the fundamental electrocatalytic reactions the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER, OER), the hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions (HOR, ORR) change if the temperature is varied between room temperature and -20^∘C.

Keywords: Electrochemistry; Electrocatalysis; Frozen Electrolyte; Platinum