Polyoxoanion Chemistry Moves toward the Future:  From Solids and Solutions to Surfaces

In the context of modern surface science, current understanding of polyoxoanion surface chemistry is truly modest from a structural/mechanistic point of view. Only three techniques have received any attention to date, and none of them has been developed to anywhere near its full potential. The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has proven to be a useful qualitative tool for in situ monitoring of polyoxoanion adsorption and adsorption kinetics. A second technique that has shown great potential for in situ study of polyoxoanion surface chemistry at solid-liquid interfaces is modulated infrared spectroscopy. The third and final in situ surface analytical technique that has shown great promise but is yet to be exploited to its full potential is scanning probe microscopy. Sections of the paper discuss scanning probe microscopy; single crystal surfaces; evaporative solution deposition on graphite; electrochemical deposition onto graphite; and self-assembly on metal surfaces.