A structural model of ultra-microelectrodes for shear-force based scanning electrochemical microscopy

The incorporation of a shear-force (SF) feedback in scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) hardware has enabled topographically resolved electrochemical imaging of electroactive substrates. Despite the versatility of SECM-SF imaging, structural response of the ultra-microelectrode (UME) to various excitation inputs is poorly understood and predictive mathematical models for characterizing dynamic behavior, particularly at high operating frequencies (>100 kHz), are absent. In this article, we present a finite element model to characterize SF behavior by modeling the UME as a rigid cantilever with two distributed piezoelectric wafers (dither and receiver) and demonstrate the model’s ability to predict experimentally observed SF behavior. The obtained SF response under different dither-to-receiver distances for various UME geometries and loading conditions provides insight to the optimum placement of piezoelectric wafers on the UME for achieving a high SF amplitude at SF-sensitive frequencies. In addition, the variations in SF response under different dither-to-receiver orientations indicate the existence of a system transfer function that is dependent on the operating modes of the receiver. The agreement between simulated and experimental results suggests that the finite element model along with the experimental methodology can be extended to automated SF imaging using SECM hardware.