The point of zero charge (PZC) is crucial for investigating molecular level charging mechanisms in energy storage systems, as demonstrated in electrochemical capacitors. Three electrochemical techniques were studied: cyclic voltammetry (CV), staircase potentio electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (SPEIS) and step potential electrochemical spectroscopy (SPECS) for two activated carbons (ACs) with 0.1 mol L− 1 aqueous solutions of LiNO3, Li2SO4, and KI. The porous AC charging process in aqueous electrolytes is a complex phenomenon; the ion mixing zone covered a wide potential region. Inadequate PZC determination could lead to obscure data evaluation, which could further provide a misguided mechanism description at the molecular level. In the aqueous solutions studied, the adsorption of specific ions and active participation of all ionic species in the electrical double-layer formation were considered. The SPECS technique was determined to be the most beneficial for the PZC determination in electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance applications.
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