ELECTROCHEMICAL SURFACE SCIENCE

A. Zolfaghari and G. Jerkiewicz, in Electrochemical Surface Science of Hydrogen Adsorption and Absorption (eds. G. Jerkiewicz, P. Marcus),... 

In view of the complexity of heterogeneous systems, none of the above techniques will be able to supply, by itself, a complete atomic-level description of surface phenomena. A multi-technique approach has been perceived by many as most appropriate for fundamental studies in electrochemical surface science (30-2). Since none of the existing electrochemical laboratories are adequately equipped to perform a comprehensive experimental study, collaborative efforts between research groups of different expertise are burgeoning. Easier access to national or central facilities are also being contemplated for experiments which cannot be performed elsewhere. The judicious combination of the available methods in conjunction with the appropriate electrochemical measurements are permitting studies of electrocatalyst surface phenomena unparalleled in molecular detail. 

With the experimental and theoretical strategies available today, research in electrochemical surface science has been revived. There is great optimism that much of the mysteries surrounding electrocatalysis will soon be unravelled in molecular detail hitherto unachievable. 

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