Investigation of the Surface Film Forming Process on Nongraphitizable Carbon Electrodes by In-situ Atomic Force Microscopy

Abstract

In-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied to the investigation of surface film formation processes on a nongraphitizable carbon electrode. A glassy carbon (GC) plate with heat-treatment at 500°C was used as a model electrode of the nongraphitizable carbon. The in-situ AFM was combined with a cyclic voltammetry measurement. Based on the results, the effect of different electrolyte solutions was investigated and the thickness of the surface film on GC was found to be thinner than that on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.