Electrochemical scanning tunnelling microscopy (EC-STM) study of silver electrodeposition from a room temperature molten salt

Preliminary results by in situ EC-STM on the electrodeposition of silver on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) from a room temperature molten salt are presented. The molten salt was composed of 55 mol-% AlCl3, and 45 mol-% 1-methyl-3-butyl-imidazolium chloride - this mixture is liquid at ambient temperature - and contained AgCl in a concentration of 0.025 mol/l. The results show for the first time that HOPG can be imaged at this interface with atomic resolution and that the silver deposition/dissolution process can be viewed in situ.