SCAN-Lab Technical Notes 06: Ultra Micro-Electrodes (UMEs) for SECM techniques

Introduction

The introduction of the Scanning ElectroChemical Microscope (SECM) is a major development in the field of electrochemistry and has proven to be a good tool for surface imaging. It also has many potential applications in the study of surface reactions for example in corrosion science, or the study of enzyme stabilization and for MEMS. The spatial resolution of the technique to some extent depends on the size and type of the electrochemical electrode employed. UMEs with dimensions of microns are commonly used in many electrochemical applications. Their performance and high current sensitivity make them ideal for use in amperometric analysis methods where they also offer benefits in electrochemical studies in both low and high conductive electrolytes.