Chemically modified electrodes: Recommended terminology and definitions (IUPAC recommendations 1997)

Chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) comprise a relatively modern approach to electrode systems that finds utility in (1) a wide spectrum of basic electrochemical investigations, including the relationship of heterogeneous electron transfer and chemical reactivity to electrode surface chemistry, electrostatic phenomena at electrode surfaces, and electron and ionic transport phenomena in polymers, and (2) the design of electrochemical devices and systems for applications in chemical sensing, energy conversion and storage, molecular electronics, electrochromic displays, corrosion protection, and electro-organic syntheses. Compared with other electrode concepts in electrochemistry, the distinguishing feature of a CME is that a generally thin film of a selected chemical is bonded or coated onto the electrode surface to endow the electrode with the chemical, electrochemical, optical, electrical, transport, and other desirable properties of the film in a rational, chemically designed manner. In this report, we have attempted to identify and define the most widely used terminology in the growing field of CMEs and to recommend a particular term in cases where a multiplicity of terms has arisen over the past several years or where previously defined terms have taken on broadened meanings for the special cases of CMEs. It is expected that additional terms will be added to this lexicon in the future as new research directions evolve.