Structure and Dynamics of Electrochemical Phase Boundaries

Abstract

In our environment surfaces, phase boundaries and interfaces are omnipresent. A living cell, a crystal of salt, a living organism, a cutting tool or a sheet of metal are separated from the surroundings by surfaces—and thus interfaces are established. At a first glance this may be accepted as a trivial and obvious fact of life without much importance. The properties and activities of a biological cell are presumably controlled by its structure and the processes occurring in its interior; density and the chemical and physical properties of a crystal depend on the chemical identity of its constituents and their arrangement in the crystal. The same may be said of the other examples. A closer look at this understanding leaves a number of open questions, because many processes of central importance are occurring at the interface. By just looking at the bulk properties of the adjacent systems these properties may be understood improperly or, sometimes, not at all.