Electrochemical identification and quantification of through-plane proton channels in graphene oxide membranes

Abstract

Stacked graphene oxide (GO) proton membranes are promising candidates for use in energy devices due to their proton conductivity. Identification of through-plane channels in these membranes is critical but challenging due to their anisotropic nature. Here, we present an electrochemical reduction method for identifying and quantifying through-plane proton channels in GO membranes. The simplicity lies in the operando optical observation of the change in contrast as GO is electrochemically reduced. Here, we find three proton-dominated three-phase interfaces, which are critical for the reduction reactions of GO membranes. Based on these findings, a method is proposed to identify and quantify through-plane channels in stacked GO proton membranes using a simple three-electrode device in combination with real-time imaging of the membrane surface.