SECM

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a scanning probe technique which uses a microelectrode as a probe to interrogate the electrochemical reactivity of a substrate of interest. The current at the microelectrode is measured as it is moved over a surface, generating a current image dependent on surface reactivity and topography. These surface properties can be quantified and decoupled through examination of the measured current and comparison to analytical approximations or finite element simulations. SECM has been used to investigate various chemical and electrochemical processes occurring at surfaces.
Scanning a microelectrode over a passivated surface (blue) reveals a local reactive feature (red).
Our group uses SECM to study the corrosion of metal alloys such as aluminium and stainless steel in situ in conjunction with the development of numerical models to explain the processes occurring on the microscale. We also fabricate probes for analysis of biological systems, namely investigating effluxes from live cells and enzymes. For reviews from our group on the subject see below:
Polcari, D. et al. Chem. Rev. 2016, 116, pp 13234-13278.
Featured group publications
  1. Du, C.; Suduwella, T.; Beaulieu, I.; Schougaard, S.B.; Mauzeroll, J. Chapter 11: Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy of Living Cells. In Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy, 3rd edition, Bard A.J and Mirkin M.V., Ed. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC: Boca Raton, 2022; 297-330
  2. Payne, N.A.; Stephens, L.I.; Mauzeroll, J. The Application of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy to Corrosion Research. Corrosion 2017 73(7), 759–780.
  3. Danis, L.; Gateman, S.M.; Kuss, C. Schougaard, S.B.; Mauzeroll, J. Nanoscale Measurements of Lithium Ion Battery Materials Using Scanning Probe Techniques. ChemElectroChem 2016, 4, 6-19.
  4. Polcari, D.; Dauphin-Ducharme, P.; Mauzeroll, J. Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy: A Comprehensive Review of Experimental Parameters from 1989 to 2015. Chemical Reviews 2016, 116, 13234-13278.