ABSTRACT
Auger electron spectroscopic (AES) studies of electrode surfaces are described. AES is useful for identification and quantitation of all elements present at the electrode surface, except H and He. Limits of detection are typically about 1% of one monoatomic layer at the present time, and the technology continues to advance. Although AES requires evacuation, the experimental evidence to date indicates that chemisorbed species remain at the surface for identification and quantitation in vacuum. Cationic species present in the emersed layer of liquid or in the electrical double layer can also be determined using AES. However, anions, X–, present in the emersed electrical double layer and solution, typically undergo hydrolysis to volatile HX species, which are subsequently lost to the vacuum. Recent applications of AES to the study of electrode surfaces include monitoring of the preparation of clean electrode surfaces; analysis of the monoatomic, monoionic, and monomolecular chemisorbed layer at an electrode surface; characterization of electrodeposited metallic films; and investigation of alloy and compound semiconductor electrode surfaces.
