Electrochemical tip-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for microscopic studies of electrochemical interfaces

The review describes electrochemical applications of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). These applications combine the merits of both scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and Raman spectroscopy, which enables us to simultaneously obtain high-resolution images of surface morphology and chemical information under the electrochemical environment. This review, first summarizes the pioneering work done on the TERS systems that operate in liquid and electrochemical environments, and then gives an overview of the typical instrumentation of electrochemical TERS (EC-TERS) based on electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). Furthermore, this review summarizes the advancements in EC-TERS studies of events that occur at the interfaces. These include potential dependent structural changes and electrochemical reactions. Finally, we discuss the current issues and future prospects of EC-TERS for microscopic studies of electrochemical interfaces.