Correlative imaging of crosstalk between single entities in metal alloys – OCTAWA

The intermetallic phases, impurities, crystallographic grains and grain boundaries (further called “single entities”) of metal alloys tend to cluster with the formation of a complex network of interactions once exposed to a conductive medium. The crosstalk between these entities is electrochemical in nature. It occurs in a wide range of scales from a few nanometers to tens of microns and, averaged over the whole surface, it is responsible for the macroscale electrochemical activity. This phenomenon is of major importance for all nanostructured conductive interfaces relevant in corrosion, electrocatalysis and battery fields. Because the crosstalk initiates at nanoscale but may interconnect instantaneously entities a 10th of micrometers apart, one needs to diagnose its production in a wide field range with nanometer resolution and high-throughput, which is a huge analytical challenge. The overarching goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the crosstalk mechanisms of single entities on nanostructured metal alloys supported by the development of correlative opto-electrochemical approaches.