Center for Functional Nanomaterials Seminar

In the last years, the need of a deep comprehension at an atomic level of the phenomena occuring a the electrified interface, pushed the scientific community to develop methods for the modification and characterization of an active surface with atomic spacial resolution.
The Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) is playing a pivotal role in this challenge, allowing for the detailed analysis of the morphology and, a the same time, for the nano-scale modification of the substrate, opening the road to one of the most active field of contemporary research: nano-technology In this field, the Electrochemical-STM (EC-STM) has emerged as powerful tool for the controlled nanostructuring of electrode surfaces, due to its unique capability of operating at room conditions of pressure and temperature. The case of the controlled deposition of Pd nano-cluster on an Au surface will be discussed.
Moreover, the study of the tunneling current flowing through an STM gap operating under electrochemical control, yealds detailed informations on the “local” structure and the electronic properties of the interface. Tunneling Spectroscopy measurements at the Au/Electrolyte interface are discussed.
However, STM based techiques allow for the nanostructuring of limited, too small portion of the surface in order to assume some technological relevance. In this view, electrochemical direct litography is presented as an example for the nanostructuring of large areas.


Dieter M. Kolb and Felice C. Simeone
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Dieter M. Kolb and Felice C. Simeone
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Felice C. Simeone, Dieter M. Kolb, Sudha Venkatachalam and Timo Jacob,Surface Science 602 (2008) 1401