Extended Data Fig. 2: Control EC-STM studies in CO-free electrolyte.
From: Self-activation of copper electrodes during CO electro-oxidation in alkaline electrolyte
EC-STM at -0.45 VSHE in Ar-saturated 0.1 M NaOH, where the surface is imaged over a long period of time (> 1.5 hours). In comparison to the structural changes during the CO bulk oxidation at the exact same potential, the images in the CO-free 0.1 M NaOH indicate unidirectional Cu transport upon Cu(111) reconstruction. Although a high degree of step edge roughening due to OH adsorption-induced reconstruction can be observed, there is only little formation of nanoscale Cu adatom islands. A much higher stability of the surface morphology after reconstruction is observed. No additional growth of adatom islands and nanostructures is seen upon scanning of up to an hour, which means there is no apparent surface diffusion. a, 100 x 100 nm2 (Itip = 1 nA) and b–d, 50 x 50 nm2 (Itip = 4 nA). Etip = -0.5 VSHE.
