Applications of scanning electrochemical microscopy in photoelectrochemistry

Investigation of the mechanism and reaction kinetics of photoelectrochemical reaction processes is significantly important for accelerating the conversion efficiency of light to electric and the developments of new high efficient green photovoltaic devices.Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), a kind of electrochemical scanning probe microscopy with high spatio-temporal resolution, can provide photoelectrochemical current of samples, study the reaction mechanism and kinetics of photoelectrochemical reactions, and evaluate and optimize the activities of photoelectrochemical catalysts.It has become an important characterization technique in studies of various interfacial photoelectrochemical processes in recent years.This review introduces the applications of SECM in the photoelectrochemistry field.First, the experimental system, working principle and working modes of SECM in the photoelectrochemical studies are introduced.Then the applications of SECM in investigations of photosynthesis, photoinduced electron transfer, electrogenerated chemiluminescence, water splitting and solar cells are summarized in detail.Final, the outlook of the future applications and developments of SECM in the photoelectrochemical field are discussed.