ABSTRACT
This chapter is intended to provide the readers with an up-to-date account of scanning electrochemical microscopic (SECM) imaging in chemical and biological applications. Examples of SECM imaging in bulk liquid environments for catalysis, biological systems, and materials are discussed. SECM imaging in humid air is described for an ionic conductive polymer, e.g., Nafion, and several macrobiological molecules. With SECM imaging, it is possible to obtain the topography and/or the reactivity of a sample of interest while in the solution phase. However, the challenge is that the topography and reactivity can become convoluted, so choosing the correct imaging mode is crucial. Because the SECM response is a function of the rate of the heterogeneous reaction at the substrate, it can be used to image the local chemical and electrochemical reactivity of surface features. This reaction-rate imaging technique, which is unique to SECM, is particularly useful in imaging the areas on a surface where reactions occur.
