Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy ( EC-STM ) / in-situ STM

Adam Z. Stieg @ the CNSI - UCLA

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Overview | Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy ( EC-STM ) / in-situ STM | Instrument Design | Images & Performance | Sponsors, Suppliers, & Collaborators

In order to probe chemical systems with spatial resolution on the nanometer scale through imaging and spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy is a powerful experimental tool. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) provides a means to investigate the electronic local density of states (LDOS) with sub-nanometer resolution. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) facilitates investigations of surface topography, local mechanics and a variety of other physical properties. The application of scanning probe microscopy in liquid (in-situ) and electrochemical (EC-SPM) environments enables nanoscale studies at the solid-liquid interface. The attractive nature of EC-SPM lies in its ability to control surface electronic properties while imaging redox active atomic and molecular systems.

Instrumentation development relies on a sound understanding of the inherent strengths and limitations for a given technique. In an attempt to improve on currently available technology, this work has set out to employ creative approaches toward the design and construction of an EC-SPM that exceeds the performance, versatility, and mechanical stability of previously reported designs. The system described herein has been optimized for flexible low-noise SPM imaging in ambient, liquid, and electrochemical environments. Successful atomic resolution imaging by both STM and AFM modalities has been achieved.


	Adam Z. Stieg @ the CNSI - UCLA \| home \| back to Research \| Overview \| Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy ( EC-STM ) / in-situ STM \| Instrument Design \| Images & Performance \| Sponsors, Suppliers, & Collaborators In order to probe chemical systems with spatial resolution on the nanometer scale through imaging and spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy is a powerful experimental tool. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) provides a means to investigate the electronic local density of states (LDOS) with sub-nanometer resolution. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) facilitates investigations of surface topography, local mechanics and a variety of other physical properties. The application of scanning probe microscopy in liquid (in-situ) and electrochemical (EC-SPM) environments enables nanoscale studies at the solid-liquid interface. The attractive nature of EC-SPM lies in its ability to control surface electronic properties while imaging redox active atomic and molecular systems. Instrumentation development relies on a sound understanding of the inherent strengths and limitations for a given technique. In an attempt to improve on currently available technology, this work has set out to employ creative approaches toward the design and construction of an EC-SPM that exceeds the performance, versatility, and mechanical stability of previously reported designs. The system described herein has been optimized for flexible low-noise SPM imaging in ambient, liquid, and electrochemical environments. Successful atomic resolution imaging by both STM and AFM modalities has been achieved.