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Probing Electrified Liquid-Solid Interfaces with Scanning Electron Microscopy

Published

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

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 April 25, 2024)
Created December 1, 2020, Updated October 12, 2021