• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.316-326
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• 2016

Development and discovery of efficient, cost-effective, and robust electrocatalysts are imperative for practical and widespread implementation of water electrolysis and fuel cell techniques in the anticipated hydrogen economy. The electrochemical reactions involved in water electrolysis, i.e., hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, are complex inner-sphere reactions with slow multi-electron transfer kinetics. To develop active electrocatalysts for water electrolysis, the physicochemical properties of the electrode surfaces in electrolyte solutions should be investigated and understood in detail. When electrocatalysis is conducted using nanoparticles with large surface areas and active surface states, analytical techniques with sub-nanometer resolution are required, along with material development. Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is an electrochemical technique for studying the surface reactions and properties of various types of electrodes using a very small tip electrode. Recently, the morphological and chemical characteristics of single nanoparticles and bio-enzymes for catalytic reactions were studied with nanometer resolution by combining SECM with atomic force microscopy (AFM). Herein, SECM techniques are briefly reviewed, including the AFM-SECM technique, to facilitate further development and discovery of highly active, cost-effective, and robust electrode materials for efficient electrolysis and photolysis.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.1069-1074
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• 1995

The application of scanning electrochemical microscopy to the imaging of surfaces in water and air and to the study of the electrochemistry of single molecules is discussed.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1227-1232
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• 1998

The frequency response on the tip-sample distance in scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) that is combined with an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) is described. The oscillation frequency of the EQCM increases rapidly when the SECM tip is very close to the substrate electrode surface. This frequency increase is reproducible regardless of the current feedback in SECM, which is attributed to the stress caused by the tip pressing the quartz crystal. It is useful to calibrate the tip-sample distance with respect to the frequency change when a combined system of SECM and EQCM (SECM-EQCM) is used. This method could be applied to several cases such as rigid metal electrode and non-conducting or partially conducting polymer coating prepared on the quartz crystal regardless of the feedback current.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2017

When aiming for an increased and more sustainable use of metals a thorough knowledge of the corrosion phenomenon as function of the local metal microstructure is of crucial importance. In this work, we summarize the information presented in our previous publications[1-3] and present an overview of the different local (electrochemical) techniques that have been proven to be effective in studying the relation between different microstructural variables and their different electrochemical behavior. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)[1], scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM)[2], and electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM)[3] were used in combination with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Consequently, correlations could be identified between the grain orientation and grain boundary characteristics, on the one hand, and the electrochemical behavior on the other hand. The grain orientation itself has an influence on the corrosion, and the orientation of the neighboring grains also seems to play a decisive role in the dissolution rate. With respect to intergranular corrosion, only coherent twin boundaries seem to be resistant.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.54-62
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• 2024

SICM (Scanning Ion Conductivity Microscopy) is a technique for measuring surface topography in an environment where electrochemical reactions occur, by detecting changes in ion conductivity as a nanopipette tip approaches the sample. This study includes an investigation of the current response curve, known as the approach curve, according to the distance between the tip and the sample. First, a simulation analysis was conducted on the approach curves. Based on the simulation results, then, several measuring experiments were conducted concurrently to analyze the difference between the simulated and measured approach curves. The simulation analysis confirms that the current squeezing effect occurs as the distance between the tip and the sample approaches half the inner radius of the tip. However, through the calculations, the decrease in current density due to the simple reduction in ion channels was found to be much smaller compared to the current squeezing effect measured through actual experiments. This suggests that ion conductivity in nano-scale narrow channels does not simply follow the Nernst-Einstein relationship based on the diffusion coefficients, but also takes into account the fluidic hydrodynamic resistance at the interface created by the tip and the sample. It is expected that SICM can be combined with SECM (Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy) to overcome the limitations of SECM through consecutive measurement of the two techniques, thereby to strengthen the analysis of electrochemical surface reactivity. This could potentially provide groundbreaking help in understanding the local catalytic reactions in electroless plating and the behaviors of organic additives in electroplating for various kinds of patterns used in semiconductor damascene processes and packaging processes.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 2014

Oxygen consumption is a useful parameter for evaluating mammalian embryo quality, since individual bovine embryos was noninvasively quantified by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Recently, several approaches have been used to measure the oxygen consumption rates of individual embryos, but relationship between oxygen consumption and pregnancy rates of Hanwoo following embryo transfer has not yet been reported. In this study, we measured to investigate the correlation between oxygen consumption rate and pregnancy rates of Hanwoo embryo using a SECM. In addition to, the expression of pluripotent gene and anti-oxidant enzyme was determined using real-time PCR by extracting RNA according to the oxygen consumption of in vivo embryo. First, we found that the oxygen consumption significantly increased in blastocyst-stage embryos (blastocyst) compared to early blastocyst stage embryos, indicating that oxygen consumption reflects the embryo quality (Grade I). Oxygen consumption of blastocyst was measured using a SECM and total cell number of in vitro blastocyst was enumerated by counting cells stained by propidium iodide. The oxygen consumption or GI blastocysts were significantly higher than those of GII blastocysts ($10.2{\times}10^{15}/mols^{-1}$ versus $6.4{\times}10^{15}/mols^{-1}$, p<0.05). Total cell numbers of in vitro blastocysts were 74.8, 90.7 and 110.2 in the oxygen consumption of below 10.0, 10.0~12.0 and over $12.0{\sim}10^{15}/mols^{-1}$, respectively. Pregnant rate in recipient cow was 0, 60 and 80% in the transplantation of embryo with the oxygen consumption of below 10.0, 10.0~12.0 and over $12.0{\times}10^{15}/mols^{-1}$, respectively. GPX1 and SOD1 were significantly increased in over -10.0 group than below 10.0 groups but in catalase gene, there was no significant difference. On the other hand, In OCT-4 and Sox2, pluripotent gene, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the below-10.0 ($0.98{\pm}0.1$) and over 10.0 ($1.79{\pm}0.2$). In conclusion, these results suggest that measurement of oxygen consumption maybe help increase the pregnant rate of Hanwoo embryos.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.108-123
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• 2004

Imaging of surfaces and structures by near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) has matured and is routinely used for studies ranging from biology to materials science. Of interest in this review paper is a versatility of modified or multi-functional NSOM (mf-NSOM) to enable high resolution imaging in several modes: (1) Concurrent fluorescence and Topographical Imaging (gases) (2) Microspectroscopy (gases) (3) Concurrent Scanning Electrochemical and Topographical Imaging (SECM) (liquids) (4) Concurrent Photoelectrochemical and Topographical Imaging (PEM) (liquids) The present study will summarize some of the recent advances in mf-NSOM work confirmed and supported by the results from several other imaging techniques of optical, fluorescence, electron and electrochemical microscopy. The studies are directed at providing local information on pitting precursor sites and vulnerable areas on metal and semiconductor surfaces, and at reactive sites on heterogeneous, catalytic substrates, especially on Al 2024 alloy and polycrystalline Ti. In addition, we will introduce some results related to the laser-induced nanometal (Ag) synthesis using mf-NSOM.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.231-235
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• 2009

Oxygen consumption has been regarded as a useful indicator for assessment of mammalian embryo quality. However, there was no standard criterion to measure the oxygen consumption of embryos. Here, we measured oxygen consumption of bovine embryos at various developmental stages was measured using a scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). We found that the oxygen consumption significantly increased in blastocyst-stage embryos compared to other stage embryos (from 2-cell-stage to morula-stage), indicating that oxygen consumption reflects the cell number ($5.2{\sim}7.6{\times}10^{14}/mol\;s^{-1}$ versus $1.2{\sim}2.4{\times}10^{14}/mol\;s^{-1}$, p<0.05). In the morula-stage embryos, the oxygen consumption of in vivo derived embryos was significantly higher than that of in vitro produced embryos ($4.0{\times}10^{14}/mol\;s^{-1}$ versus $2.4{\times}10^{14}/mol\;s^{-1}$, p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in consumption of oxygen by in vivo and in vitro-derived bovine blastocyst-stage embryos (p>0.05). In the frozen-thawed blastocyst-stage embryos, live embryos showed significantly higher oxygen consumption than dead embryos ($4.7{\times}10^{14}/mol\;s^{-1}$ versus $1.0{\times}10^{14}/mol\;s^{-1}$, p<0.05). These results indicate that the measuring oxygen consumption by SECM can be used to evaluate bovine embryo quality.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.145-148
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• 2010

Oxygen consumption has been regarded as a useful indicator for assessment of mammalian embryo quality. This study was performed to investigate whether oxygen consumption reflects morphological grade of in vivo derived bovine blastocyst-stage embryos (blastocyst). The oxygen consumption of in vitro produced blastocyst was compared to its total cell number. In addition, pregnant rate was measured after transplantation of in vivo blastocysts with different oxygen consumption. The quality of blastocyst collected on day 7 after artificial insemination was categorized as grade I and II (G I and G II) based on microscopic observation of the morphology. Oxygen consumption of blastocyst was measured using a scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and total cell number of in vitro blastocyst was enumerated by counting cells stained by propidium iodide. Pregnancy of recipient cow was confirmed with rectal palpation after 60 days of embryo transfer. The oxygen consumptions of G I blastocysts were significantly higher than those of G II blastocysts ($10.2{\times}10^{15}/mol\;s^{-1}$ versus $6.4{\times}10^{15}/mol\;s^{-1}$, p<0.05). Total cell numbers of in vitro blastocysts were 74.8, 90.7, and 110.2 in the oxygen consumption of below 10.0, 10.0~12.0, and over $12.0{\sim}10^{15}/mol\;s^{-1}$ respectively. Total cell number was significantly increased in embryos with high oxygen consumption (p<0.05). Pregnant rate in recipient cow was 0, 50, and 85.7% in the transplantation of embryo with the oxygen consumption of below 10.0, 10.0~12.0, and over $12.0{\times}10^{15}/mol\;s^{-1}$, respectively. These results suggest that measurement of oxygen consumption may help increase the pregnant rate of bovine embryos.