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03.08.-07.08.2026

ncAFM 2026 Conference in Innsbruck

The 27th International conference on non-contact atomic force microscopy (ncAFM 2026) took place in Innsbruck from 3–7 August 2026, bringing together more than 150 researchers from around the world to discuss the latest advances in non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) and its applications. The conference was jointly organized by Laerte Patera, Jan Balajka, Martin Setvin and Andrea.

The scientific program covered recent developments in instrumentation, atomic-scale imaging, spectroscopy, and applications in surface and nanoscience, providing a platform for scientific exchange and international collaboration within the nc-AFM community.

Our group also contributed two posters presented by Lucas, “Force Microscopy at the Electrified Solid-Liquid Interface with Tip Apex Modification”, and Fabian, “Probing the In₂O₃ – water interface with STM and AFM”.

Link to the website: https://www.uibk.ac.at/en/congress/nc-afm-2026/

15.07.2026

New article published in Electrochimica Acta

The article, “Field-related interfacial effects on structure and surface chemistry during the initial stages of Cu(111) oxidation,” investigates the structural and electrostatic changes occurring during Cu(111) oxidation. By combining laser-induced temperature jump experiments with in situ EC-STM, the study reveals how hydroxide adsorption, oxygen formation, and the transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional Cu₂O growth reshape the surface structure and interfacial electric field. The study was led by Andrea in collaboration with Julia Kunze-Liebhäuser (University of Innsbruck), Victor Climent and Juan Feliu (both University of Alicante).

 Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013468626014489

30.06.2026

A successful research visit

Today, we said goodbye to Ariba after a productive research stay with our group. Thank you for the great collaboration and the enjoyable time together - we wish you all the best for what comes next!

25.06.2026-30.06.2026

Symposium on microscopic characterization of the solid/liquid interface

Andrea delivered a senior lecture at SELSIM on microscopic investigations of solid-liquid interfaces. It was a great symposium that brought together leading experts for insightful discussions.

Link to the conference: https://www.selsim.com/index.php

16.03.2026

New visiting student 

We are happy to welcome Ariba Adnan from Leiden University as a visiting PhD student in our group for a period of almost four months. During her stay, she will work on in situ AFM, contributing to our research on the structure of the electrical double layer.

We look forward to a productive collaboration and many inspiring discussions.

08.03.2026-13.03.2026

DPG Spring Meeting of the Condensed Matter Section

Lucas and Andrea attended the Annual Spring Meeting of the Condensed Matter Section of the DPG in Dresden, where they both delivered presentations. This was Lucas’s first talk at an international conference - well done!

Link to the conference: https://dresden26.dpg-tagungen.de/

03.02.2026

New article published in ACS Electrochemistry

How does gold oxidize under alkaline conditions? The new article, “Oxide Growth and Place-Exchange on Au(111) in Alkaline Electrolyte,” investigates this process and shows, using in situ EC-STM.

 Link to the article: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acselectrochem.5c00505

09.12.2025

New article published in ACS Nano

A recent study published in ACS Nano, with Andrea Auer as corresponding author and carried out in collaboration with Julia Kunze-Liebhäuser (University of Innsbruck), investigates CO oxidation on Cu single crystals as a model reaction for low-temperature fuel cells.
In-situ surface imaging under reaction conditions reveals facet-dependent restructuring of the Cu surface, showing that catalytic activity is largely governed by the effective density of active Cu adatoms rather than distinct structural motifs.

Link to the publication.

30.11.2025

New Master student - Fabian Fleidl

Fabian Fleidl joined the research group of Andrea Auer as a new master student. 

07.09.2025-12.09.2025

76th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry

Lucas and Andrea attended the 76^th Annual Meeting of the ISE in Mainz, Germany. The conference featured over 2000 contributions, making it the annual meeting with the highest participant number in its history. Lucas contributed his first poster presentation to the conference. Andrea gave an invited talk on visualizing solvent structuring at electrified solid-liquid interfaces.

Link to the conference.

23.06.2025

New article published in Angewandte Chemie

Changes in electrode surface chemistry under electrochemical conditions critically influence electrocatalytic performance. In this communication, in-situ electrochemical X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to monitor the surface state of tungsten carbide (WC) powder electrodes during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and at oxidative potentials. This study was led by Julia Kunze-Liebhäuser (University of Innsbruck).

Link to the article.

02.06.2025

New PhD student - Lucas Scheibel

Lucas Scheibel joined the research group of Andrea Auer as a new PhD student. 

Perspective article published in ACS Nano

A new perspective article has been published in ACS Nano introducing the simultaneous operation of electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy and force microscopy using a qPlus sensor, highlighting its future potential to provide high precision, enhanced flexibility and versatility, particularly as a multimodal approach to interface characterization. This work was published in collaboration with Franz Giessibl (University of Regensburg) and Julia Kunze-Liebhäuser (University of Innsbruck).

Link to the perspective.