Sophisticated IrO2(110)-based model electrodes are prepared by deposition of a 10 nm thick single-crystalline IrO2(110) layer supported on a structure directing RuO2(110)/Ru(0001) template, exposing a regular array of mesoscopic roof-like structures. With this model electrode together with the dedicated in-situ synchrotron based techniques (SXRD, XRR) and ex-situ characterization techniques (SEM, ToF-SIMS, XPS) the corrosion process of IrO2(110) in acidic environment is studied on different length scales. Potential-induced pitting corrosion starts at 1.48 V vs. SHE and is initiated at so-called surface grain boundaries, where three rotational domains of IrO2(110) meet. The most surprising results is, however, that even when increasing the electrode potential to 1.94 V vs. SHE still 60-70 % of the IrO2 film stays intact down to the mesoscale and atomic scale and no uniform thinning of the IrO2(110) layer is encountered. Neither flat IrO2(110) terraces nor single steps or grain boundaries, where only two rotational domains meet, are attacked. Ultrathin single-crystalline IrO2(110) layers seem to be much more stable in the anodic corrosion than hitherto expected.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.