Pioneer Works in Development of In Situ Scanning Tunneling Microscopy for Electrochemical Surface Science

Since its invention by Binnig and Rohrer, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was immediately established as an invaluable and powerful surface analysis technique with atomic resolution in ultra-high vacuum (UHV). Belatedly, but assuredly, developments in STM operated at solid-liquid interfaces led to its valuation as arguably the premier technique for atomic-level surface structural investigations of chemical processes taking place at solid-liquid interfaces. It has been demonstrated that in situ STM makes it possible to monitor, under reaction conditions, a wide variety of electrode processes such as the adsorption of inorganic and organic species, the reconstruction of electrode surfaces, the dissolution and deposition of metals and semiconductors.