Recent Progress of Atomic Force Microscopy for in Situ Electrochemical Studies

The evolution of the morphological and mechanical properties of the solid-liquid interface of electrode materials during the electrochemical process is often directly related to the changes in the properties of the materials, and it is attracting more and more attention. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an imaging tool that acquires the surface morphology of a sample by monitoring the interaction force between the probe and the sample. It is also an essential platform for the in situ investigation of the morphological evolution and surface mechanical properties changes, benefiting from the high resolution and insitu operation under fluid. In recent years, electrode materials related to batteries, supercapacitors and electrocatalysis have become a hot area of electrochemical study. Meanwhile, the characterization of the evolution of material morphological and mechanical properties in situ using AFM has played a crucial role in the study of the structure-function relationship of electrode materials, providing new ideas for the development and optimization of new materials for electrodes. In this review, we summarized the research progress on the in situ AFM in various types of batteries, supercapacitors, and electrocatalytic electrodes.