Probing Electrified Liquid-Solid Interfaces with Scanning Electron Microscopy

Published

December 2, 2020

Author(s)

Hongxuan Guo, Alexander Yulaev, Evgheni Strelcov, Alexander Tselev, Christopher M. Arble, Andras Vladar, John S. Villarrubia, Andrei Kolmakov

Abstract

The mean free path of secondary electrons in aqueous solutions is on the order of a nanometer, making them a suitable probe of 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 strength and concentration of electrolyte and 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 scanning electron microscopy to examine and map electrified liquid-solid electrified interfaces

Citation

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

Volume

12

Issue

50

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c19634

Local Download

Keywords

Electrified interface, electrical double layer, scanning electron microscopy, secondary electrons, graphene electrode, polarization

Citation

Guo, H. , Yulaev, A. , Strelcov, E. , Tselev, A. , Arble, C. , Vladar, A. , Villarrubia, J. and Kolmakov, A. (2020), Probing Electrified Liquid-Solid Interfaces with Scanning Electron Microscopy, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, [online], https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c19634, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=930456 (Accessed October 7, 2025)