[3Ep01-07] Surface Science and Energy Storage: Electrode Surface Science Division's Session

[3Ep07(2023女子大学院生優秀賞)] Development of new techniques for single-molecule measurements at electrochemical interfaces: redox reaction tracking and electrodeposited gold probes

*Yuzu Kobayashi^1,2, Yasuyuki Yokota², Yasufumi Takahashi^3,4, Jun Takeya⁵, Yoshiaki Shoji⁶, Takanori Fukushima⁶, Yousoo Kim^2,7 (1. JST PRESTO, 2. RIKEN, 3. Department of Electrical Engineering, Nagoya University, 4. WPI NanoLSI, Kanazawa University, 5. School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 6. Laboratory of Chemistry and Life Science, Tokyo Tech, 7. Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo)

The electrochemical interface is the fields of energy conversion reactions, molecular device operation, and sensing. Electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM) is a strong method that enables direct observation of electrochemical interfaces with nanoscale spatial resolution by measuring tunneling current with a metal tip. In this study, we developed new sample and tip preparation methods for single-molecule measurement using EC-STM. Redox reactions of ferrocene single molecules were visualized by establishing a sample preparation method suitable for single-molecule measurement using tripodal molecules. Then, we established a new tip fabrication technique to solve a long-standing difficulty in EC-STM, by electrochemically depositing Au on microelectrodes covered with glass.