%0 Journal Article
%A Maurice Ayache
%A Dongyoun Jang
%A Jaroslaw S Syzdek
%A Robert Kostecki
%B Journal of The Electrochemical Society
%D 2015
%G eng
%N 13
%P A7078 - A7082
%R 10.1149/2.0101513jes
%T Near-Field IR Nanoscale Imaging of the Solid Electrolyte Interphase on a HOPG Electrode
%V 162
%8 08/2015
%! J. Electrochem. Soc.
%X <p><span>The SEI layer on graphitic carbon electrodes is well known to protect effectively the electrode from further electrolyte reduction during long-term charge-discharge cycling process. Many different techniques have been applied to characterize the chemical and structural composition of this complex surface film. The standard vibrational optical spectroscopies, which offer molecular-level information are subject to the diffraction limit, which restricts their ability to probe at the nanoscale level of the SEI building blocks. This work exploits infrared apertureless near-field microscopy that operates below the diffraction limit to characterize the SEI layer on a model HOPG electrode. Variations in surface topography and chemical contrast are discussed in the context of SEI composition and function. The promise of near-field techniques for characterization of electrochemical interfaces is briefly evaluated.</span></p>