Detection of 2D phase transitions at the electrode/electrolyte interface using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

The capacitance of the electric double layer, C_DL, formed at the electrode/electrolyte interface is generally determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). However, C_DL values obtained using EIS data often depend on the ac frequency of the potential perturbation used in EIS. The reasons for the observed frequency dispersions can be various, and hence extracting valuable information about the status of the electrified interface is not possible with the required certainty. In this work, using well-understood electrochemical systems, namely Pt(111) electrodes in contact with a series of acidic sulfate ions containing electrolytes, we provide strong evidence that 2D phase transitions in the adsorbate layers and, in general, structural effects at the electrode/electrolyte interface are in many cases responsible for the frequency dispersion of the double layer capacitance. These empirical findings open new opportunities for the detection and evaluation of 2D phase transition processes and other structural effects using EIS, even in presence of simultaneously occurring electrochemical processes. However, further theoretical elaboration of this effect is necessary.