Enabling Local Electrochemistry in Fast, High-Resolution Scanning Probe Microscopy

Abstract

Due to their exceptional sensitivity, scanning probe microscopes enable detailed interrogation of surfaces and interfaces. When correlating spatial information to additional scanning probe surface measurements (such as force, electrical potential or conductivity, impedance, thermal mapping, viscoelastic parameters, redox activity, and more), spatial resolution is often limited. In this work, we present the development and demonstrate the utility of an electrochemical assembly (probe, potentiostat, and sample cell) for use with a high-resolution, fast scanning Cypher atomic force microscope that enables measurements of highly-localized electrochemical signals. These measurements bear on various metrologies such as electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM), scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), and electrochemical strain microscopy (ECSM), and relevant results will be presented. Figure 1. The first-generation electrochemical cell for use with a lower-resolution scanning probe microscope. Figure 1