Processes at solid/liquid interfaces are of enormous technological importance. Examples of large scale applications are galvanisation and passivation for corrosion inhibition, batteries and fuel cells for energy storage and conversion, electro-catalysis and flotation.
Nowadays nanoscale integrated circuits are produced electro-chemically, by the so-called “Damascene process”. Special coatings lead to super-hydro-phobic and self-cleaning surfaces (“Lotus – effect”).
In order to understand and optimize these processes detailed fundamental research is required. The electrochemical scanning tunnelling microscope (EC-STM) enables to study properties and processes at solid/liquid interfaces with atomic resolution. Both microscopic and spectroscopic investigations in air and electrochemical environment can be carried out with the use of EC-STM.
Atomically resolved Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) images in air