Electromechanical probing of ionic currents in energy storage materials

The electrochemical processes in energy storage materials are generally linked with changes of molar volume of the host compound. Here, the frequency dependent strain response of one-dimensional electrochemically active system to periodic electric bias is analyzed. The sensitivity and resolution of electrochemical strain measurements are compared to the current-based electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The resolution and detection limits of interferometric and atomic force microscopy based systems for probing electrochemical reactions on the nanoscale are analyzed. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3446838]