1. Probing Electrified Liquid-Solid Interfaces with Scanning Electron Microscopy
- Author
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Hongxuan Guo, John S. Villarrubia, Alexander Yulaev, Evgheni Strelcov, Andrei Kolmakov, Christopher Arble, Alexander Tselev, and András E. Vladár
- Subjects
Auxiliary electrode ,Materials science ,Graphene ,business.industry ,Scanning electron microscope ,Electrolyte ,Secondary electrons ,law.invention ,law ,Secondary emission ,Electrode ,Optoelectronics ,General Materials Science ,business ,Polarization (electrochemistry) - Abstract
Electrical double layers play a key role in a variety of electrochemical systems. The mean free path of secondary electrons in aqueous solutions is on the order of a nanometer, making them suitable for probing ultrathin electrical double layers at solid-liquid electrolyte interfaces. Employing graphene as an electron-transparent electrode in a two-electrode electrochemical system, we show that the secondary electron yield of the graphene-liquid interface depends on the ionic strength and concentration of the electrolyte and the applied bias at the remote counter electrode. These observations have been related to polarization-induced changes in the potential distribution within the electrical double layer and demonstrate the feasibility of using scanning electron microscopy to examine and map electrified liquid-solid interfaces.
- Published
- 2020