An atomistic view of electrochemistry

One of the most important tasks of modern, physical electrochemistry is the development of an atomistic picture of the solid/liquid interface in order to provide the basis for a mechanistic understanding of electrochemical processes. Electrochemists seek answers to the same questions as their surface science colleagues (e.g., electronic and structure properties of surfaces and adlayers), but are faced with the fact that in electrochemistry the contact of the solid with a condensed phase, the electrolyte, makes life much more difficult. Nevertheless, electrochemists succeeded in the last 20 years to develop an electrochemical surface science by adopting experimental techniques and theoretical concepts from surface physicists. This article describes the various routes electrochemists have used to obtain a detailed characterization of electrode surfaces in particular, and of the electrochemical interface in general. Success in physical electrochemistry is based on the development of non-traditional in situ methods to complement the classical, current- and voltage-based techniques. The former range from optical spectroscopies, linear and non-linear, to in situ X-ray diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. The current status of electrochemical surface science and its most important future goals are briefly addressed.