ABSTRACT
The acquisition of spatially resolved functional and structural information on surfaces and interfaces is a major theme in contemporary microscopy, with applications spanning materials science and technology, biology, medicine, and nanotechnology generally. However, access to local chemical information (especially concerning dynamics at condensed phase interfaces) from mainstream microscopy techniques is often challenging, and structure-function relationships remain obscured. To expand the capabilities of microscopy, signicant efforts have been invested in the development of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques1 that facilitate direct measurements of various types of processes at a wide range of interfaces. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight scanning droplet-based techniques, with a particular focus on scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM).2 This is a very recently developed methodology within the family of more established SPMs, but one that has already demonstrated considerable versatility for probing and visualizing interfacial function, opening up new opportunities for understanding electrochemical processes, and as a tool for the modication and patterning of surfaces.
