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Physical electrochemistry
addresses the broad area of fundamental electrochemistry.
This includes theoretical and experimental aspects of double-layer
structure, kinetic and mechanistic studies of heterogeneous electron transfer at
electrode-electrolyte interfaces, electrocatalysis, and the application of
spectroscopic and other techniques to the study of electrochemical interfaces
and processes.
The principal electrochemical tool of the physical electrochemist is cyclic
voltammetry. The cyclic voltammetry experiment can be "tuned" to
the kinetics of the electrochemical reaction by adjusting the scan rate.
Other techniques commonly used for research electrochemistry include
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry, chronocoulometry, and chronopotentiometry.
There is a growing application of electrochemistry in the life sciences.
This area of research is probably best exemplified by the development of sensors
or biosensors. The most common sensor that utilizes electrochemistry is
the glucose sensor, used by millions of everyday people to monitor their levels
of blood sugar. Most researchers who are working on sensors or biosensors
employ
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to characterize their products.
Electroanalytical chemistry
is a complementary niche of physical electrochemistry. There are a
wide range of "pulse techniques" that are often employed by
electroanalytical chemists. These techniques include differential pulse,
square wave, normal pulse, reverse normal pulse..and the list may continue ad
nauseum. Strictly speaking, the pulse techniques are rarely used for
fundamental electrochemical studies. But because they are incredibly
sensitive compared to cyclic voltammetry, they can be handy to have in your
electrochemical tool kit. The pulse techniques can also be used in
stripping voltammetry in which a solution species is electrochemically
pre-concentrated onto an electrode surface, then quantitated using the pulse
waveform.
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Gamry
products for the Physical Electrochemist are described below. For more detail
on any product, click on the hyperlink.
Electrochemical Simulation Software
Cyclic Voltammetry is the best electrochemical technique for the elucidation
of the mechanism of an electrochemical reaction. This task has been made
considerably easier with the launch of DigiElch 5 Electrochemical Simulation
Software. DigiElch is also a great teaching tool for your up-and-coming
electrochemists. Click here for a full
description of DigiElch.
Potentiostats
Physical electrochemistry experiments routinely use small electrodes, so
currents tend to be low. Gamry Potentiostats are particularly well-suited
for low current measurement because of the low noise inherent in their design.
For physical electrochemistry, we recommend either the Series
G 300 Potentiostat or the Reference 600
Potentiostat. If
you think you'll routinely encounter higher currents, go with the Reference 600.
With the Reference 600, you'll be able to measure extremely low currents, which
are routinely encountered with microelectrodes. If your budget is limited,
consider the Series G 300. On balance, the
Reference 600 is probably the best choice, since if measures both low and high
currents equally well.
Portability is another aspect of instrumentation that electroanalytical
chemists don't usually worry about. A portable instrument, however, can expand
your electrochemical horizons...literally! Run your Gamry Reference 600 Potentiostat
with a Notebook Computer and
you can easily take it down the hall or across the country.
Software
The PHE200 Physical Electrochemistry Software
is perfect for, well, physical electrochemistry. It provides cyclic
voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry, chronocoulometry,
chronopotentiometry, and controlled potential coulometry. The PHE200 also
includes some clever multiple-step chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry
techniques that are very useful for pulse plating and other applications.
You
will also be interested in the PV220 Pulse Voltammetry
Software. The PV220
loads your electrochemical cannon with square wave, differential pulse, normal
pulse, reverse normal pulse, and sampled DC voltammetry. There's also a
clever generic pulse technique for defining your own potentiostatic or
galvanostatic pulse waveform.
Electrochemical Cell
You also might like the Dr. Bob's
Cell, which we think is just what the above-average Physical Electrochemist
is looking for. Jacketed or unjacketed, macro and micro electrodes in
platinum, glassy carbon, and gold, plus five ports for inserting various items
into your electrolyte. The Dr. Bob's Cell has a conical shape so you can
run experiments on very low volumes.
If you're looking for a Rotating Disk or Rotating Ring-Disk Electrode, then look
no further than our
RDE710 Rotating Electrode. Choose a platinum, glassy carbon, or gold
electrode, or we'll build a custom electrode for you. You can control the
rotation rate of the RDE710 directly from the PHE200 Software.
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