Recognizing Conductive Islands in Polymeric Redox Surface Using Electrochemical-Coupled Vibrational Spectromicroscopy

We introduce a set up by coupling the multiplex FTIR microscopy to electrochemistry through a home-made spectroelectrochemical cell to observe real time changes in the electronic states of polymeric islands by monitoring the oxidation states of polyaniline (PANI). The resultant technique called as electrochemical-coupled vibrational spectromicroscopy (EVSM) enables the measurements of structural changes in the conductive islands of PANI with the spatial resolution as high as 2.5 µm. Unique 2D and 3D chemical maps obtained by the integration of the spectral bands in the subtractively normalized interfacial infrared (SNIFTIR) spectra reveal electrochemical heterogeneity, showing promising topological properties control for conducting polymer-based electronic devices.