Development of local analysis technique of electric double layer at electrode interfaces and its application to ionic liquid interfaces

Abstract

Local analyses of electrolyte/solid electrode interfaces at controlled electrode potentials are of fundamental importance to understanding the origin and properties of the electric double layer (EDL) at the interfaces, which is necessary for their application to electrochemical devices. This award account summarizes our recent achievements of such analyses by using the novel analytical tools of electrochemical frequency modulation AFM (EC-FM-AFM), which enables acquisition of information from the liquid molecules' structuring as well as the atomic scale resolution of the solid side, both are often affected by the electrode potential. Potential and electrolyte dependent EDL structures at aqueous solution/graphite interfaces and strong substrate dependency on the structuring of interfacial ionic liquid are mainly discussed.