Probing Electrocatalysis at Individual Au Nanorods via Correlated Optical and Electrochemical Measurements.

A novel analytical methodology based on correlated optical and electroanalytical measurements was developed to probe electrocatalytic reactions at individual nanoparticles (NPs) with well-defined geometries. The developed methodology, Optically Targeted ElectroChemical Cell Microscopy (OTECCM), relies on a combination of optical hyperspectral imaging, to locate individual NPs and provide structural information, and Scanning ElectroChemical Cell Microscopy (SECCM), to provide direct information on the electrochemical behavior of the same NPs. This complementary strategy allows for SECCM measurements to be carried out in a "targeted" fashion, offering significant throughput advantages over conventional, scanning-based approaches.