In situ atomic force microscopy of the reduction of lead oxide nanocrystals immobilised on an electrode surface

Litharge (alpha-PbO) crystals with edge lengths between 100 and 500 nm have been deposited on polycrystalline gold electrodes and electrochemically reduced in one step to metallic lead. The reduction was followed by in situ atomic force microscopy. The results reveal that the reduction is an epitactic solid-state reaction with conservation of the initial crystal orientation. It was possible to depict the progressing of the reaction front supporting a simple theoretical model for the reaction mechanism.