In-Situ Electrochemical Surface Science

The study of electrochemical interfaces is a pursuit almost as diverse as it is venerable. The characterization of such systems, especially for metals in contact with electrolyte solutions, was originally undertaken as a central part of classical physical chemistry during the early decades of this century. More recently, surface electrochemistry has evolved in several different (and somewhat disparate) directions, triggered in part by the wide utility of electrodes in analytical chemistry; indeed, research work along such electroanalytical lines has been emphasized, notably in the USA. The importance of electrochemical interfaces in a variety of technologically important circumstances, including energy conversion and metal corrosion, fuels further our scientific desire to develop a more fundamental physical understanding of the structural and dynamical properties of metal-solution interfaces. The broadbased impact of surface electrochemistry is founded in the unique and controllable interplay between electrical and chemical phenomena afforded at metal-solution interfaces. Thus the continuous alterations in electron energy that can be induced externally at electrochemical interfaces allow subtle (as well as substantial) modifications to the electronic state of interfacial components. One can therefore be justified in asserting that interfacial electrochemistry should form a centrally important part of contemporary surface physical chemistry.