Understanding the behavior of ionic hydrogen species at solid surfaces is essential for clarifying fundamental processes in catalysis, electrochemistry, corrosion, and energy conversion. This talk will introduce the development of qPlus based noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM), which allows to identify the positions of proton in water in real space by measuring the high-order electrostatic force between the CO-terminated tip and the polar water molecule [1,2]. Then

this talk will showcase the applications of H-sensitive AFM in investigating the structure and dynamics of hydrated protons and hydridic hydrogen at surfaces. Specifically, this talk will highlight three key findings: 1) the direct visualization of Eigen- and Zundel-type hydrated protons within hydrogen-bonded water networks on metal crystal surfaces, revealing coupled Eigen-Zundel interconversion and interfacial proton transfer processes [3]; 2) the atomic-level elucidation of the promoting role of interfacial water in the deprotonation of formic acid on Cu(111) [4]; and 3) the investigation of hydrogen-induced (1×2) reconstructions on low-index metal surfaces, including the quantification of collective hydrogen transport dynamics in surface metal hydrides.

References:

1. Nat. Commun. 9, 112 (2018).
2. Phys Rev Lett. 129, 046001 (2022).
3. Science 377, 315-319 (2022).
4. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 210–217 (2024).

About the speaker:

Dr. Jing Guo, is a professor at the College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University. She received her B.S. from Lanzhou University in 2011 and her Ph.D. from Peking University in 2016, and then she worked at the International Center for Quantum Materials at Peking University as a postdoctoral fellow. She started her independent research and teaching at the College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University in 2018. Her research interests encompass structure and dynamics of interfacial water, the activation and transformation of CO2 and the nuclear quantum effect of hydrogen-rich systems, using advanced scanning probe microscopy. She was selected for the National Program for Support of Top-notch Young Professionals in 2020 and was honored as a Youth Beijing Scholar in 2024.