Japan JSPS Program: In-situ Analysis of Gold and Carbon Fiber Electrode Surfaces

该奖项将提供补充支持，使奥本大学的Greg Swain博士能够与Kingo Itaya博士在日本仙台的东北大学进行为期12个月的合作研究。他们将应用原位扫描隧道显微镜(STM)和原子力显微镜(AFM)技术来表征金和碳纤维电极表面的固体/溶液界面。尽管固体电极受到表面微结构的强烈影响，但固体电极通常是在高真空中研究的。这种技术不能准确测量固体电极表面在溶液中的物理和化学界面性质，因为它们与电子转移、吸附、腐蚀和催化有关。为了深入了解这些过程的本质，Swain和Itaya将使用STM和AFM对单晶金电极在超清洁溶液中进行原位分析。Itaya博士在使用原位扫描隧道显微镜对单晶和多晶电极表面成像方面的专业知识将补充Swain在电化学表面光谱分析和碳质电极必要的前处理方面的经验。有助于理解固/液界面离子与溶剂之间的相互作用。

This award will provide supplementary support to enable Dr. Greg Swain of Auburn University to conduct collaborative research with Dr. Kingo Itaya for twelve months at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. They will apply in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques to characterize the solid/solution interface of gold and carbon fiber electrode surfaces. Despite the fact that they are strongly influenced by the microstructure present at the surface, solid electrodes are usually studied in a high vacuum. Such a technique does not accurately measure the physical and chemical interface properties of the solid electrode surfaces in solutions as they relate to electron transfer, adsorption, corrosion and catalysis. In order to provide insight into the nature of these processes, Swain and Itaya will conduct an in situ analysis of single crystal gold electrodes in ultraclean solutions using STM and AFM. Dr. Itaya's expertise in the use of in situ STM to image mono and polycrystalline electrode surfaces will complement Swain's experience in electrochemical surface spectroscopy and the necessary pretreatment of carbonaceous electrodes, and will facilitate the understanding of the interaction between ions and solvents at the solid/solution interface.