Particle mass transport in impact electrochemistry

Abstract

Impact electrochemistry is a set of methods in which individual micro- or nanoscale particles are detected and analyzed at a miniaturized electrode. Quantitative interpretation of the results, in particular the determination of ultralow concentrations, relies heavily on modeling the mass transport of the particles being analyzed. This is particularly subtle since, due to favorable scaling with increasing particle size, migration and convection play a disproportionate role in the transport of such particles compared to that of small molecules. Here we summarize the main governing principles in electrochemically-driven particle transport. We particularly emphasize the difference between particle electrophoresis and small-ion migration, which has led to inaccuracies in the recent literature.