Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) is increasingly applied to determine the intrinsic catalytic activity of single electrocatalyst particle. This is especially feasible if the catalyst nanoparticles are large enough that they can be found and counted in post-SECCM scanning electron microscopy images. Evidently, this becomes impossible for very small nanoparticles and hence, a catalytic current measured in one landing zone of the SECCM droplet cannot be correlated to the exact number of catalyst particles. We show, that by introducing a ruler method employing a carbon nanoelectrode decorated with a countable number of the same catalyst particles from which the catalytic activity can be determined, the activity determined using SECCM from many spots can be converted in the intrinsic catalytic activity of a certain number of catalyst nanoparticles.

Despite outstanding accomplishments in catalyst discovery, finding new, more efficient, environmentally neutral, and noble metal-free catalysts remains challenging and unsolved. Recently, complex solid solutions consisting of at least five different elements and often named as high-entropy alloys have emerged as a new class of electrocatalysts for a variety of reactions. The multicomponent combinations of elements facilitate tuning of active sites and catalytic properties. Predicting optimal catalyst composition remains difficult, making testing of a very high number of them indispensable. We present the high-throughput screening of the electrochemical activity of thin film material libraries prepared by combinatorial co-sputtering of metals which are commonly used in catalysis (Pd, Cu, Ni) combined with metals which are not commonly used in catalysis (Ti, Hf, Zr). Introducing unusual elements in the search space allows discovery of catalytic activity for hitherto unknown compositions. Material libraries with very similar composition spreads can show different activities vs. composition trends for different reactions. In order to address the inherent challenge of the huge combinatorial material space and the inability to predict active electrocatalyst compositions, we developed a high-throughput process based on co-sputtered material libraries, and performed high-throughput characterization using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and conductivity measurements followed by electrochemical screening by means of a scanning droplet cell. The results show surprising material compositions with increased activity for the oxygen reduction reaction and the hydrogen evolution reaction. Such data are important input data for future data-driven materials prediction.

The determination of the intrinsic properties of nanomaterials is essential for their optimization as electrocatalysts, however it poses great challenges from the standpoint of analytical tools and methods. Herein, we report a novel methodology that allows for a binder-free investigation of electrocatalyst nanoparticles. The potential-assisted immobilization of a non-noble metal catalyst, i.e., nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe LDH) nanoparticles, was employed to directly attach small nanoparticle ensembles from a suspension to the surface of etched carbon nanoelectrodes. The dimensions of this type of electrodes allowed for the immobilization of the catalyst material below the picogram scale and resulted in a high resolution towards the faradaic current response. In addition the effect of the electrochemical aging on the intrinsic activity of the catalyst was investigated in alkaline media by means of continuous cyclic voltammetry. A change in the material properties could be observed, which was accompanied by a substantial decrease in its intrinsic activity.