Elucidation of molecular-scale behavior of electric double layer for functional interfaces

Abstract

Electric double layer (EDL) is formed at the electrolyte / electrode interface and provides a field of energy storage or accumulated career conduction in addition to that of electrochemical reaction i.e. electron transfer with chemical bond rearrangement. In the present article, after introducing a newly developed microscopic technique of electrochemical frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy for analyses of electrochemical liquid / solid interfaces, two examples of EDL analyses are provided by combination of the microscopy experiments and molecular dynamics simulations for understanding how the ions and solvents respond and are rearranged by the electrode potential.