Microelectrode techniques for characterization of advanced materials for battery and sensor applications

The microelectrode can be defined as an electrode having dimensions of micrometer or less (nm). The importance of the use of microelectrodes has already been widely accepted in the field of electroanalytical chemistry, since a microelectrode (or its array) has many advantages for rapid and sensitive voltammetric measurements. ^1-4 In addition to such electroanalytical use, microelectrode-based systems have become of interest in recent years for the characterization of solid materials. We review here some of the recent topics on the use of microelectrodes for materials characterization, especially for the materials in battery and sensor applications. Results are presented for conducting polymers and for active materials of lithium ion batteries, based upon our data. It will be demonstrated that the microelectrode-based characterization techniques bring unique information, which will contribute to the design of high performance micro devices.