Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 39: Focus Session: Structure and Dynamics of Solvent at Electrochemical Interfaces I

O 39.1: Talk

Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 10:30–10:45, WILL/A317

Influence of Tip Apex Modification on Force Microscopy at the Solid-Liquid Interface — •Lucas Andreas Scheibel and Andrea Auer — Institute of Physical Chemistry, Innsbruck, Austria

Recent advances in electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM) at the electrified solid-liquid interface using stiff, self-sensing quartz cantilevers (qPlus sensors [1]) have enabled high-resolution imaging of both electrode surfaces and interfacial solvent structures.[2,3] This interfacial region plays a decisive role in determining the performance of electrocatalysts, fuel cells, and electrochemical processes. In this work, we introduce chemically modified Si tips functionalized with charge-neutral hydrophobic or hydrophilic groups to identify how charge buildup at the tip apex influences the ability to resolve solvent structures and distinguish water from ion layering at the Au(111)-electrolyte interfaces across a range of pH values. These strategies provide new insight into atomic-scale contrast mechanisms of liquid AFM and highlight the role of tip-apex chemistry[2] in resolving the interfacial organization of solvent molecules at well-defined electrified solid-liquid interface.

[1] F. J. Giessibl, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 90, 011101 (2019)

[2] A. Auer, F. J. Giessibl, J. Kunze-Liebhäuser, ACS Nano, 19, 9, 8401-8410 (2025)

[3] A. Auer, X. Ding, A. S. Bandarenka, J. Kunze-Liebhäuser, J. Phys. Chem. C, 125, 9, 5020-5028 (2021)

Keywords: Solid-liquid interface; EC-AFM; solvent structure; qPlus sensor