In this review, we focus on major achievements of the three-phase electrode methodology applied for studying ion transfers across an interface between two immiscible liquids. Exactly 20 years ago, the group of electrochemists led by Fritz Scholz, invented an elegant and simple set up suitable to get access to the thermodynamics of ion transfers across liquid/liquid interface. Within the last two decades, besides determination of thermodynamics of the transfer of many important ionic substances, three-phase electrodes have been applied for many other purposes. Thermodynamics of interfacial chemical reactions, kinetics of ion and electron transfer, interfacial catalysis, recognition of chiral ions, synthesis of nano-particles, and biosensor development are some of the milestones achieved by application of three-phase electrodes. While elaborating briefly major achievements, future perspectives of this simple, but powerful electrochemical tool, have been also envisaged.

在这篇综述中，我们专注于三相电极方法的主要成就，该方法用于研究跨两种不混溶液体之间的界面的离子转移。恰在20年前，由弗里茨·舒​​尔茨（Fritz Scholz）领导的电化学家小组发明了一种优雅而简单的装置，适用于通过液/液界面进行离子转移的热力学。在过去的二十年中，除了确定许多重要离子物质转移的热力学以外，三相电极还用于许多其他目的。通过使用三相电极，界面化学反应的热力学，离子和电子转移的动力学，界面催化，手性离子的识别，纳米粒子的合成以及生物传感器的开发是一些里程碑式的事件。