Chapter 4 - Electrochemical microscopy at the nanoscale

Abstract

High-resolution scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a powerful technique for studying electrochemical systems and processes at the nanoscale. This chapter describes fundamentals of and recent advances in nanoscale SECM. New opportunities, challenges and limitations arise in SECM experiments when the scanning probe size, separation distance between the tip and substrate, and the probed volume shrink to the nanometer scale. We start with a survey of the methodology developed for fabricating and characterizing ultrasmall nanoelectrode tips that is critical for the progress in nanoscale SECM. The subsequent discussion is focused on applications of nanoSECM experiments reported over the last 10–20 years, including studies of 2D and 3D nanostructured surfaces, electron and ion transfer using nanopipette-based probes, and biological cells.