COUPLING BETWEEN ELECTRON AND MASS-TRANSFER KINETICS IN ELECTROACTIVE POLYMER-FILMS - AN APPLICATION OF THE IN-SITU QUARTZ-CRYSTAL ELECTRODE

The use of the in situ quartz crystal electrode (QCE) method in the field of electrochemistry is relatively recent. Nevertheless, its value as a means for elucidation of the mass transport phenomena that accompany redox processes in thin films (even in monolayer films) on electrodes has been well realized by electrochemists. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the potential of the in situ QCE technique as a novel tool for examining mass transfer and electron transfer processes in electroactive polymer films. The principles and experimental procedures for in situ QCE measurements as well as its application to a variety of polymer films are described. The examples presented to illustrate the application of the QCE method serve to demonstrate the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of electrochemical research.