High Speed Atomic Force Microscope Observation of Polyethylene Glycol Adsorption on Au(100)

Abstract

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) plays an important role as an inhibitor of the electrodeposition. In this study, we investigated the potential dependence of PEG (molecular weight: 3000) adsorption and desorption processes on the gold single crystal substrate. High speed atomic force microscope (HS-AFM) was applied for observing the dynamic behaviors of the nucleation and the growth of PEG adsorption. The in situ observation was conducted at the several potentials where the cyclic voltammogram measurement showed the broad peak of the reduction current. As the applied potential became more cathodic, the adsorption morphology changed from film-like, through the sphere, to the large irregular cluster. When the potential was switched to anodic potential, HS-AFM could show the dissolution process of PEG. Finally we demonstrated the effect of the tip force by modifying the feed-back circuit of AFM.