Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopic Studies of Electrode Surfaces.

Abstract : The major objective of this work is to develop secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and other ancilliary modern surface analysis methods as tools to elucidate electrochemical processes. The research effort is devoted both to understanding the information inherent in the surface spectroscopies and to using these methods to characterize the chemical composition of modified electrode surfaces. The SIMS results are analyzed in terms of the composition of molecular cluster ions ejected from the electrode surface. The interpretation is based on a classical dynamics model of the impact of a 1 keV Ar(+) ion into the sample. This model helps to relate the composition of these clusters to the composition of the surface. The approach should be a general one, applicable to metals, metal oxides, alloys and organic films. In short, with all of these studies we hope to demonstrate that SIMS, together with other surface spectroscopies, are powerful tools for electrochemists, providing new information relevant to corrosion processes, electrocatalysis and fuel cell technology. (Author)