An interdisciplinary approach to the electrochemistry at solid electrodes is presented here taking into account new basic interpretations for either phase growth or phase disruption under conditions far from equilibrium. For this purpose imaging data derived from scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) at different scale lengths are extremely useful. This approach provides new insights into roughness development, roughness decay and reactivity at solid electrodes. The study of mobile interfaces by the sequential application of in situ STM data and an interpretation based on the dynamic scaling theory furnish a qualitative and a quantitative description of surface irregularities, and provide information about the interface evolution mechanism under steady and non-steady roughness regimes. Various examples of electrochemical interest are discussed on the basis of this interdisciplinary approach.
irregular electrode surfaces; nanoscopies; dynamic scaling
