Proceedings of nanoGe Fall Meeting 2021 (NFM21)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.nfm.2021.006
Publication date: 23rd September 2021
Kelvin-probe force microscopy (KPFM) has been widely used as a nanoscale surface potential measurement technique for investigating electrical properties of various materials and devices. However, this method cannot be used in an electrolyte since the application of a dc bias voltage between a tip and a sample often induces uncontrolled electrochemical reactions and/or redistribution of ions. To overcome this limitation, we have developed open-loop electric potential microscopy (OL-EPM) [1, 2], where we apply only a high-frequency ac bias voltage and detect the first and second harmonic vibration amplitude and phase of the cantilever to calculate the local potential near the sample surface. So far, we demonstrated that this method allows us to visualize nanoscale distribution of corrosion reaction activities at the surface of duplex stainless steel and cupper fine wires in electrolyte [3]. However, it has not been applied to the investigations on a specific important question in corrosion science.
In this study, we apply OL-EPM to the studies on the nanoscale corrosion mechanisms of aluminum alloys around Al-Fe intermetallic particles (IMPs) or grain boundaries in electrolyte. Aluminum alloys have attracted growing attention due to the increasing demands for reducing the weight and fuel consumption of cars, aircraft, and robots. To this end, tremendous efforts have been made for understanding their corrosion mechanisms and improving their corrosion resistance. However, this has been impeded by the difficulties in visualizing nanoscale distribution of local corrosion cells during the corrosion process. Here we use OL-EPM to visualize the dynamic changes in the surface potential around Al-Fe IMPs and grain boundaries and present the model to explain the corrosion mechanisms. These results provide important guidelines for the future improvements in the corrosion resistance of aluminum alloys, and also demonstrate the applicability of OL-EPM to the nanoscale studies on the corrosion mechanisms.
nanoGe is a prestigious brand of successful science conferences that are developed along the year in different areas of the world since 2009. Our worldwide conferences cover cutting-edge materials topics like perovskite solar cells, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, solar fuel conversion, surface science, catalysis and two-dimensional materials, among many others.
Previously nanoGe Spring Meeting (NSM) and nanoGe Fall Meeting (NFM), MATSUS is a multiple symposia conference focused on a broad set of topics of advanced materials preparation, their fundamental properties, and their applications, in fields such as renewable energy, photovoltaics, lighting, semiconductor quantum dots, 2-D materials synthesis, charge carriers dynamics, microscopy and spectroscopy semiconductors fundamentals, etc.
International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics
International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV) is celebrated yearly in May. The main topics are the development, function and modeling of materials and devices for hybrid and organic solar cells. The field is now dominated by perovskite solar cells but also other hybrid technologies, as organic solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells and their integration into devices for photoelectrochemical solar fuel production.
Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics
The main topics of the Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (IPEROP) are discussed every year in Asia-Pacific for gathering the recent advances in the fields of material preparation, modeling and fabrication of perovskite and hybrid and organic materials. Photovoltaic devices are analyzed from fundamental physics and materials properties to a broad set of applications. The conference also covers the developments of perovskite optoelectronics, including light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.
The International Conference on Perovskite Thin Film Photovoltaics Perovskite Photonics and Optoelectronics (NIPHO) is the best place to hear the latest developments in perovskite solar cells as well as on recent advances in the fields of perovskite light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.