Electrochemistry

It has been almost 30 years since Volume 10 of the specialist periodical reports in electrochemistry was published and Richard Compton and Jay Wadhawan should be congratulated for re-launching a much-valued and missed series. This volume (and the as-yet unpublished following one) focuses on nanosystems electrochemistry, in which charge transfer occurs at interfaces or materials of sub-micron dimensions. The editors have done an excellent job in selecting each topic and the 6 chapters contained within this volume illustrate the breadth and pace of research in this field. The opening chapter, by Xiao-Shun Zhao and Emmanuel Maisonhaute, focuses on the electrochemistry of single events, ranging from the electrochemical detection of individual molecules to electroanalysis of single nanoparticles. The second chapter, by Carlos Sanchez-Sanchez, Jose Solla-Gullon and Vicente Montiel looks at electrocatalytic reactions at nanoparticles. In the third chapter, Gabriel Loget and Alexander Kuhn describe the resurgent field of bipolar electrochemistry. The fourth chapter, by Martin Pumera, is on nanocarbon electrochemistry. The fifth chapter, by Mathieu Etienne and Alain Walcarius, focuses on electrochemistry within template systems and the final chapter, by Jonathan Halls and Jay Wadhawan, looks at electrochemistry in liquid nanosystems. Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone review of the area in question and each is carefully written and constructed; a gentle introduction to the field is quickly followed by an in-depth review of the relevant primary literature that will appeal to specialists, as well as electrochemists with a passing interest in nanoelectrochemistry. The text is well referenced and up to date (almost 1,000 references are listed). The use of figures from the literature is, in general, very good although the absence of colour does detract somewhat from the usefulness of some of the images; in some instances, figures containing multiple signals are hard to interpret in black and white and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) imaging data loses some usefulness when presented in black and white. Minor gripes about the absence of colour images notwithstanding, this volume is very highly recommended. I expect that it will end up on the shelves of a wide range of electrochemistry laboratories, where it will be an extremely valuable source of information for years to come. I look forward to the next volume. -- Darren Walsh Unversity of Nottingham * Newsletter of the RSC electrochemistry interest group *
Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone review of the area in question and each is carefully written and constructed; a gentle introduction to the field is quickly followed by an in-depth review of the relevant primary literature

it will be an extremely valuable source of information for years to come -- Darren Walsh Unversity of Nottingham * Newsletter of the RSC electrochemistry interest group *
Electrochemistry, the science investigating charge transfer at interfaces, has a long history of successes in several technological fields. The reason for this resides in its versatility, which makes electrochemistry suitable for investigating many different phenomena. This book provides a timely review of how electrochemistry has been used in the elucidation of events taking place at the nano-scale, either in space or time. This has been achieved by creating a good, balanced mix between theory and applications, text and figures. The text is clear and enriched by key figures/schemes that help the reader to gain a better understanding of the fundamental concepts and the reported examples. The commendable effort of the authors in providing relevant background information must also be acknowledged, since this makes understanding of the different chapters possible even for readers unfamiliar with the subjects reviewed.

Each chapter commences with a clear and brief introduction that helps the reader become familiar with the topic presented and with the aims pursued by the authors.

Chapter 1, Electrochemistry to record single events, provides an ambitious overview of the use of electrochemistry as a tool to investigate discrete events confined in time or space for: i) single molecule detection; ii) transfer across single pores; iii) single nano-particle detection; iv) electrochemistry of fast moving acoustic cavities; and to fabricate v) nano-gap electrodes and their application in molecule electronics. In each section of this chapter, the authors introduce the benefit of using electrochemistry to investigate a specific event and how this could be achieved in terms of device and experimental setup. Despite the laudable efforts of the authors and the clarity of the text, the inherent differences between the examples covered in this chapter means that the chapter does not always flow smoothly. Chapter 2, Electrocatalysis at nanoparticles, provides a clear and well-documented discussion on two aspects of nano-particle electrocatalysis. In the first part of the chapter, the authors report on the effect of nano-particle index plane and defects in their electrocatalytic properties. In this section, the reader can find a clear description of how nano-particles with different index plane could fabricated and characterised and how the different crystalline structures influence the catalytic properties. This first part is followed by a section on how electrochemistry at the nano-scale could be used for the characterisation of the catalytic properties of single nano-particles either via immobilisation onto nano-electrodes, by collision experiments or by electrochemical microscopy. In Chapter 3, entitled Bipolar electrochemistry in the nano-sciences, the authors guide the reader through the fascinating world of bipolar electrochemistry. This begins with a clear introduction to the physical principles behind this phenomenon and the different possible experimental setups. This is followed by a survey of the applications, at the macro-scale, of bipolar electrochemistry in electrochemical reactors, batteries and in the investigation, or prevention, of corrosion phenomena. The final part of the chapter is dedicated to the current application of dipolar phenomena within micro/nano-scale systems. Use of bipolar electrochemistry in the fabrication of sensors, displays, micro-switches and micro-electronic devices or integrated circuits and for the asymmetrical functionalisation of particles and pores in micro and nano domains are then described. Chapter 4, Nanocarbon electrochemistry, is dedicated to the electrochemistry of graphene, carbon nanotubes and doped nano-diamond. Electrochemistry of nano-carbon materials is clearly a vast subject, and in this chapter the authors chose to narrow it down by reporting mainly on the fabrication of the material and on how different structural/chemical properties of the materials govern their electrochemistry. The effect of edge plane, oxygen containing groups and other impurities on the response of the carbon material examined are described. Unfortunately this chapter was a little disappointing in not matching the depth of information found in the other chapters. In Chapter 4, Electrochemistry within template nanosystems, the authors review the most recent advances in the fabrication, characterisation and application of metal, metal-oxides and ordered macro/meso-carbon nano-systems. More specifically, the authors focus their attention on nanosystems prepared by the use of either hard, porous templates or colloidal crystal assemblies, or soft templates, such as surfactant self-assembling and sol-gel technology. In the first part of the chapter, the assembly of metallic nano-electrodes is examined with a strong emphasis on their improved performance, in chemical- and bio-sensors, when compared to their polycrystalline counterparts. In the second part of the chapter, metal-oxide and sol-gel derived nano-materials are described. In this section the authors not only described the fabrication and applications of such materials, but also provided the reader with tools for a better understanding of the mass transfer and electron transfer at these hybrid materials. Finally, the chapter is completed with an overview of the preparation of ordered macro/meso-carbon nano-systems and of their use in sensor technology, energy storage and energy conversion. The last chapter of the book (Chapter 5), Electrochemistry within liquid nano-systems, focuses on electrochemistry in solvents with long-range ordered structures, or more specifically, lyotropic liquid crystals. In the first part of the chapter, a short, but thorough description of basic concepts is delivered, covering assembly of the liquid systems and the implications for chemical reactions, electron transfer and mass transport when working in restricted media. In the latter part of the chapter, the authors describe some of the key applications of lyotropic liquid crystal ranging from sensors, to templates for electrodeposition of metals, while also covering their use in chromonic semiconductors and energy harvesting. In conclusion, the reader was generally impressed by the content of this book; the information provided was clear, well-referenced and supported by relevant pictures/graphs. The book makes very pleasant reading for research scientists in the area of electrochemistry and helps the reader to gain new knowledge, without going into too much in detail, on how electrochemistry could be used to investigate events taking place at the nano-scale.

Dr. V. Beni Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linkoeping University, SE-581 83, Sweden. Valerio.beni@liu.se -- Dr. V. Beni * Biosensors & Bioelectronics (Elsevier) *
This book provides a timely review of how electrochemistry has been used in the elucidation of events taking place at the nano-scale, either in space or time. This has been achieved by creating a good, balanced mix between theory and applications

Each chapter commences with a clear and brief introduction that helps the reader become familiar with the topic presented and with the aims pursued by the authors.

The book makes very pleasant reading for research scientists in the area of electrochemistry and helps the reader to gain new knowledge, without going into too much in detail, on how electrochemistry could be used to investigate events taking place at the nano-scale. -- Dr. V. Beni * Biosensors & Bioelectronics (Elsevier) *