In-Situ Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Platinum Electrode in Sulfuric Acid

Abstract
An in-situ scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was applied to clean Pt surfaces in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions. An electrochemical pretreatment was employed for a Pt electrode. It was suggested that the migration of ad-atoms of Pt produced by the oxidation and reduction cycles should occur towards a particular crystallographic direction.