Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
13:09
Assessment of Boron Doped Diamond Electrode Quality and Application to In Situ Modification of Local pH by Water Electrolysis
Published on: January 6, 2016
15.5K
Electrochemical "read-write" microscale patterning of boron doped diamond electrodes
Hollie V Patten1, Laura A Hutton, Jennifer R Webb
1Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK. j.macpherson@warwick.ac.uk p.r.unwin@warwick.ac.uk.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|November 13, 2014
Summary
Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy acts as a read-write probe to alter and analyze boron-doped diamond surfaces at the micron scale. This technique visualizes surface chemistry changes, offering new analytical possibilities for electrodes.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Surface Science
- Microscopy
Background:
- Boron-doped diamond (BDD) is a versatile electrode material.
- Understanding and controlling surface chemistry is crucial for BDD applications.
- Existing methods for surface modification and analysis can be limited in spatial resolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) as a read-write tool for BDD.
- To investigate the localized electrochemical modification of H-terminated BDD surfaces.
- To establish a platform for high-resolution electrochemical analysis of electrode surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a pipette-based probe in SECCM for localized electrochemical modification.
- Performing electrochemical oxidation to convert H-terminated BDD to O-terminated surfaces.
- Electrocatalytically visualizing the surface modification by monitoring the reduction current of Ru(NH3)6(3+).
Main Results:
- Successfully demonstrated localized electrochemical oxidation on BDD surfaces.
- Achieved micron-scale resolution in modifying and reading surface chemistry.
- Established a correlation between electrochemical modification and the redox probe signal.
Conclusions:
- SECCM serves as an effective read-write probe for BDD surfaces.
- The methodology allows for precise, localized surface chemistry alterations and analysis.
- This technique opens new avenues for electrode analysis and microfluidic applications.
