Quantifying Electrochemical Nucleation and Growth of Nanoscale Clusters Using Real-Time Kinetic Data

Electrochemical techniques are used widely for the fabrication of nanostructured materials, yet a quantitative understanding of nucleation and
growth remains elusive. Here we probe electrochemical nucleation and growth of individual nanoclusters in real time by combining current−time measurements with simultaneous video imaging. We show discrepancies between the growth kinetics measured for individual nanoclusters
and the predictions of models, and we describe a significant revision to conventional models that can explain the results. This improved
understanding of nucleation and growth allows a more quantitative approach to the electrochemical fabrication of nanoscale structures.

电化学技术已广泛应用于纳米结构材料的制备，但目前尚难以形成对其成核与生长过程的定量认知。本研究通过结合电流-时间测量与同步视频成像，实时探测单个纳米团簇的电化学成核与生长过程。研究发现，单个纳米团簇的生长动力学实测结果与现有模型的预测存在显著差异；本研究提出了对传统模型的重大修正，可合理解释上述实验结果。这一对成核与生长过程的深化认知，为纳米级结构的电化学制备提供了更为定量的研究路径。