Single Entity Electrochemistry and Its Application to Nanomaterial Synthesis

Single entity analysis is an important research topic in electrochemistry. Thus far, collisions of nanomaterials and subsequent interaction between electrodes and particles have been studied. Single entity electrochemistry exhibited inherent heterogeneity distinct from that of ensembles. By showing various current responses, single entity electrochemistry allows us to investigate the adsorbed chemical species on the electrode surface (dielectrics, hard nanoparticles, soft nanoparticles), enabling analysis of electrode-particle interaction at the nanoscale. Electrochemical analysis of soft nanoparticles enabled the detection of biological materials and was applied to the synthesis of nanoparticles to be used as electrocatalysts. It shows great promise as a synthetic method for various structures of nanoparticles by reducing metal ions volume confined emulsion nanodroplets.