title: Thin-film voltammetry and its analytical applications: a review.
abstract: Electrochemical reactions at the interfaces of immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) are of fundamental importance in the fields of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical sciences. Four-electrode cell setup, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and thin-film voltammetry are the three most frequently used methods for studying the electrochemical processes at these interfaces. The principle, experimental design, advantages and challenges of the three methods are described and compared. The thin-film voltammetry is highlighted for its simplicity in experimental operation and kinetic data analysis. Its versatile analytical applications are discussed in detail, including the study of redox properties of hydrophobic compounds, evaluation of interfacial electron transfer kinetics, synthesis of nanoparticles/nanostructures, and illustration of cross-membrane ion transport phenomena.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Cluster Science (Ministry of Education of China) and Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, PR China; Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Huihui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada; Department of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Yunchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Cluster Science (Ministry of Education of China) and Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Chemistry, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, PR China. Electronic address: hbs@bit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Huibo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. Electronic address: hogan_yu@sfu.ca.
authors.forename: Hua-Zhong
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Yu
keywords: Biomembranes; Electron transfer; Ion transport; Liquid–liquid interface; Thin-film voltammetry