6
1 Introduction
the characteristic feature size and the possible application goals are all very diverse.
Therefore, it is very difficult to find a systematic approach that is capable of giving
home to all these materials with the least possible compromise. It is to be admitted
that several categorization systems might be appropriate for the complete description
of electrochemical nanomaterial preparation, depending on how the largest units
of the scheme are selected. While each system can be logical in some means, the
categorization always reflects to some extent the author’s taste. At the same time, it is
not sure that each single description system can serve the easy understanding of the
audience. However, one of the prime points of view of the author of this book was
to offer a didactically smooth approach to the field that can be understood also by
beginners without compromising the pursuit that state-of-the-art information should
be disseminated also for the advanced readers. This book structure definitely aims
at eliminating the obvious disadvantage of edited books where the selection of the
chapter topics is always somewhat arbitrary and the depth of the discussion may also
vary. Concerning the fields of specification, this book is primarily meant to those
who approach nanostructure preparation from the field of electrochemistry and wish
to understand both the electrochemical background and the mechanisms behind the
electrochemical manufacturing processes. Theories behind the processes are often
mentioned qualitatively only. The missing quantitative information can be found in
the relevant literature for which a rich citation background is offered. It was the
pronounced intention of the author to avoid the mistake of many textbooks that write
about a topic without pointing to the original works where the information comes
from, hence attributing the wisdom of the community of researchers solely to the
author.
The view-points detailed above led to the conclusion that the morphological
aspects should be followed, as already emphasized in the choice of the topic. The
shape of the entity or the key feature of the nanostructure and that of the material used
for its preparation will serve as the major guideline. This gave the title of the major
parts. Part I comprises this Introduction (Chap. 1), the description of the electrochemical background (Chap. 2) and the review of the investigation methods that are
important in the study of some nanostructure classes (Chap. 3). Parts II and III cover
the methods that make use of electrochemical processes working in the “classical”
potential regime of electrochemistry; i.e., in practically all these processes, the electrode potential can be considered as the driving force in accord with the activation
theory of the charge transfer. These parts include processes where the application of a
non-structured (Part II) or textured (Part III) electrode can be used for the preparation
of nanostructures, respectively. Within these parts of the book, the chapters are organized in accord with both the principles of the formation of the nanostructures as well
as character of the nanomaterials to be obtained. Part IV summarizes high-voltage
methods where the charge transfer or the current flow cannot be elucidated on the
basis of the activation theory. The chapters in this part offer an overview on processes
where the ion motion has to be activated in electrically non-conducting materials
(like in the formation of anodic alumina during anodization) and the preparation
of carbon nanostructures with high-voltage discharge methods. Although the basic
understanding of these processes is not as deep as that of the classical electrochemical
1 Introduction
the characteristic feature size and the possible application goals are all very diverse.
Therefore, it is very difficult to find a systematic approach that is capable of giving
home to all these materials with the least possible compromise. It is to be admitted
that several categorization systems might be appropriate for the complete description
of electrochemical nanomaterial preparation, depending on how the largest units
of the scheme are selected. While each system can be logical in some means, the
categorization always reflects to some extent the author’s taste. At the same time, it is
not sure that each single description system can serve the easy understanding of the
audience. However, one of the prime points of view of the author of this book was
to offer a didactically smooth approach to the field that can be understood also by
beginners without compromising the pursuit that state-of-the-art information should
be disseminated also for the advanced readers. This book structure definitely aims
at eliminating the obvious disadvantage of edited books where the selection of the
chapter topics is always somewhat arbitrary and the depth of the discussion may also
vary. Concerning the fields of specification, this book is primarily meant to those
who approach nanostructure preparation from the field of electrochemistry and wish
to understand both the electrochemical background and the mechanisms behind the
electrochemical manufacturing processes. Theories behind the processes are often
mentioned qualitatively only. The missing quantitative information can be found in
the relevant literature for which a rich citation background is offered. It was the
pronounced intention of the author to avoid the mistake of many textbooks that write
about a topic without pointing to the original works where the information comes
from, hence attributing the wisdom of the community of researchers solely to the
author.
The view-points detailed above led to the conclusion that the morphological
aspects should be followed, as already emphasized in the choice of the topic. The
shape of the entity or the key feature of the nanostructure and that of the material used
for its preparation will serve as the major guideline. This gave the title of the major
parts. Part I comprises this Introduction (Chap. 1), the description of the electrochemical background (Chap. 2) and the review of the investigation methods that are
important in the study of some nanostructure classes (Chap. 3). Parts II and III cover
the methods that make use of electrochemical processes working in the “classical”
potential regime of electrochemistry; i.e., in practically all these processes, the electrode potential can be considered as the driving force in accord with the activation
theory of the charge transfer. These parts include processes where the application of a
non-structured (Part II) or textured (Part III) electrode can be used for the preparation
of nanostructures, respectively. Within these parts of the book, the chapters are organized in accord with both the principles of the formation of the nanostructures as well
as character of the nanomaterials to be obtained. Part IV summarizes high-voltage
methods where the charge transfer or the current flow cannot be elucidated on the
basis of the activation theory. The chapters in this part offer an overview on processes
where the ion motion has to be activated in electrically non-conducting materials
(like in the formation of anodic alumina during anodization) and the preparation
of carbon nanostructures with high-voltage discharge methods. Although the basic
understanding of these processes is not as deep as that of the classical electrochemical