Quartz crystal microbalance in electroanalytical applications

Electrochemistry research and to a lesser degree its applications, have embraced the quartz crystal microbalance as a useful tool, because this device can operate while immersed in a liquid and because the crystal metal surface can serve simultaneously as an electrode. In the following treatment three issues of electrochemical QCM work are addressed. (1) A comparison of charge and mass changes, leading to the determination of a general formula of a formed metal oxide. An example using formation of palladium oxide formed directly by electrochemical means on the QCM surface is given. (2) Application of QCM sensing device in measurement of changes of interfacial tension between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES). (3) Additional information about the QCM surface can be obtained if a network analyzer is used to probe the piezoelectric device, instead of obtaining only the crystal resonant frequency. A response of a crystal exposed to air, water and nitrobenzene, and a bare crystal and a crystal covered with polyaniline film is given