Analytical Electrochemical Studies of Dynamic Processes at Electrode/Solution Interfaces

Entities showing dynamic processes on an electrode surface range from small molecules to millimetersized soft materials. The dynamics is driven by the potential dependence of the interaction of ions and dipoles with the electrode surface charge as well as the lateral interactions among the molecules. Regulated reversible movements of molecular assemblies at electrified interfaces result in new interfacial functions and emergent syntheses. To understand what are really changing at the electrode/solution interface while dynamic processes are undergoing, it is essential to have facile tools to analytically track the interfacial dynamics, as exemplified by potential-modulated spectroscopies. Typical dynamic behavior and spectroelectrochemical methods are broadly reviewed.