This item is in: Materials > Corrosion and surface engineering > Corrosion

The use of electrochemical scanning tunnel microscopy (EC-STM) in corrosion analysis: Reference material and procedural guidelines

R Lindstrom, V Maurice, L Klein and P Marcus

European Federation of Corrosion (EFC) Series No. 44

 - describes the reference material and procedural guidelines required to use this technique effectively
 - discusses an area of major importance in corrosion research

The European Federation of Corrosion’s Working Party on Surface Science and the Mechanisms of Corrosion and Protection (EFC WP6) has defined, as one of its objectives, the development of a reference material and reference guidelines for the application of electrochemical scanning tunnelling microscopy (EC-STM) in corrosion science. The use of EC-STM to study the relationship between surface structure and surface reactivity in situ on electrodes in contact with an electrolyte is of major importance in corrosion research. This report describes the reference material and procedural guidelines required to use this technique effectively. STM-users are instructed how to obtain high resolution data on a carefully prepared copper single-crystal surface.

ISBN 1 84569 235 7
ISBN-13: 978 1 84569 235 3
November 2006
48 pages  234 x 156mm  paperback  
£60.00 / US$100.00 / €70.00

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About the authors

Rakel Lindström, Vincent Maurice, Lorena H Kleinm and Philippe Marcus work at the Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Surfaces in the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France

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Contents

Introduction

Background to the copper system

Experimental description
 - Surface preparation: Mechanical polishing, Electropolishing, Annealing
 - Experiment preparation: Preparation of solutions, Preparation of tips, Cleaning the cell
 - Setting the microscope: Mounting the head and adjusting the height, Setting the cell and adding electrolyte
 - Running the microscope: Tip approach, Imaging, Electrochemistry, Tip withdrawal

Moiré pattern formation on Cu (111)
 - Cyclic voltammetry
 - Imaging at fixed potential
 - Sweeping the potential during imaging

Problems with imaging
 - Instability and drift
 - Poorly resolved images

References