Electrochemically assisted scanning probe microscopy: A powerful tool in nano(bio)science

Nanosciences in general and nanobiophysics, in particular, have taken much advantage of the advent of scanning probe microscopies. These instruments have enabled real space visualization of atoms and molecules allowing the retrieval of unprecedentedly accurate information. Nevertheless, the most powerful implementations of scanning probe microscopies should also enable a full control of the phenomena taking place at solid-liquid interfaces (e.g., electrochemical reactions). This chapter reviews the applications of scanning probe microscopies (STM and SFM) under electrochemical control. In particular, it presents the fundamentals of electrochemically controlled scanning tunneling microscopy, as far as basic concepts and possible set-ups are concerned, and proceed to the basic applications involving characterization of clean surfaces, study of underpotential deposition of metals, potential-induced phase transitions in molecular layers. The further paragraphs will be devoted to reviewing biophysical applications of electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM) as far as investigation on redox metalloproteins is concerned. A discussion on the state-of-the-art video rate EC-STM is provided. Finally, this chapter presents the current and future efforts aimed at further developing electrochemically assisted scanning probe microscopy towards the implementation of an electrochemically controlled current sensing atomic force microscope with the fundamental contribution of state-of-the-art nanotechnology. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.