SCAN-Lab Technical Notes 15: 5 μm SECM Probes: Description, Advantage, and User Guidelines

Introduction

A number of platinum (Pt) Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM) probes are offered by BioLogic. These can be categorized into fused-silica based and capillary-based probes (Part Numbers: U-23/xx and U-P5/xx respectively, where xx is the Pt diameter in both cases). The fused-silica based probes are ideal for Intermittent Contact (ic)-SECM and are available with Pt diameters of 10, 15, and 25 µm. On the other hand, the capillary probes are ideal for standard SECM techniques, and should not be used for ic-SECM. These are available in six Pt diameters: 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, and 25 µm. Figure 1: The 1 µm capillary-based probe (Part Number U-P5/01). This technical note aims to demonstrate the use of the 1, 2, and 5 (≤5) µm probes, with a focus on the 1 µm probes. The advantages of using these probes will be shown by a comparison of measurements taken with the 1 and 10 µm probes. Their use will also be outlined for both the SECM150 and M470. These probes are not intended for use with the M370.