This research project supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, focuses on the further development of the scanning electrochemical microscope for studying electron transfer kinetics at liquid/liquid interfaces and at the surfaces of new organic and inorganic materials. Professor Bard and his students at the University of Texas at Austin first developed this method. In this project near-field scanning optical microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance measurements will also be employed to simultaneously study photochemical and electrochemical reactions with high spatial and temporal resolution. A new thrust will focus on applying these methods to characterize electron transfer reactions occurring at membranes. There is a need to be able to characterize the kinetics of electron transfer processes that occur at spatially isolated sites on surfaces. Professor Bard and his students at the University of Texas at Austin have pioneered the development of scanning electrochemical microscopy and used it to address this and other problems. One focus of this project is developing this technique for the detection of single molecules at interfaces and surfaces. Electrodes of nanometer dimension have been prepared for these experiments revealing discrete electronic energy levels due to the extremely small dimensions probed by electrodes of such small size. This work has a valuable fundamental component with exciting potential applications in measurements that require molecular scale resolution.
