Gamry Introduces the Three-Amp Reference 3000 Potentiostat!
 

Reference 3000 Brochure (Preliminary)
Click here for A4 Version
Click here for 8.5x11 inch Version
 

While the Reference 3000 is a very good general-purpose potentiostat, it was developed to be especially useful in applications for Energy Storage and Conversion (ESC).   This field includes development of new chemistries, devices and systems for batteries, fuel cells, and super‑capacitors.  ESC Systems include stacks of batteries, fuel cells, or super-capacitors.  The Reference 3000 can operate stacks with voltages as high as 32 volts.

The Reference 3000 has features useful in ESC testing that are not found in other potentiostats and electrochemical systems.   These include:

• A special stack mode that allows measurement and potentiostatic control of stack voltages up to ± 32 volts.

• Two switchable compliance voltage and compliance current settings.  The two settings are ±32 Volts at ±1.5 Amps and ±15 volts at ±3.0 Amps.

• EIS measurements in potentiostatic or one of two galvanostatic modes – normal and hybrid.  In hybrid mode the AC current at each frequency is dynamically adjusted to give a fixed AC voltage. 

• An Auxiliary Electrometer option with an array of eight high-voltage differential voltage inputs.  These inputs can be used to measure voltages of cells in an ESC stack or measure reference electrodes within one electrochemical cell.

• Optional Low Impedance Cables that can measure cell impedances as low as 100 mohms.
   

• Glitch-free transition from Galvanostatic to Potentiostatic control during battery cycling experiments.

Other Reference 3000 features include:

• 11 decade current auto-ranging
• Both analog and digital filtering
• EIS up to 1 MHz
• Electrical isolation from earth ground for grounded samples
• Current interrupt iR compensation
• Data acquisition as fast as 300,000 points/sec
 

A unique Digital Signal Processing (DSP) data acquisition mode allows the Reference 3000 to reject noise from the instrument, the electrochemical cell, and the lab environment.  The Reference 3000 can often be used with its cell exposed on a lab bench when other instruments require a cell in a Faraday shield.

The Reference 3000, like all Gamry potentiostats, requires a computer for its use.  It interfaces to the computer through a USB connection. Gamry’s software currently supports up to eight Reference Family Potentiostats connected to one computer.

Auxiliary Electrometer Option

The Reference 3000 Potentiostat can be equipped with a unique Auxiliary Electrometer Option.  This factory-installed option is especially useful when you need to measure the performance of several individual cells in a fuel cell or battery stack.  The Reference 300 with the Auxiliary Electrometer Option is shown below.

Each of the eight channels on this option can measure a completely independent voltage.  The voltage measurements are fully differential, so voltages at any point in a stack can be measured.   Each input can measure a ± 5 volt signal superimposed on a large common mode voltage (a voltage applied to both inputs equally).

The inputs work over the Reference 3000’s entire compliance voltage range (either ±32 volts or ±15 volts).  The input impedance is greater than 10 Gohms -- allowing connection of the inputs to small high impedance reference electrodes or small diameter Luggin probes.

The primary function of the Auxiliary Electrometer is simultaneous measurement of individual cells within a multi-cell battery, fuel cell, or super-capacitor stack.   Both the AC and DC performance of the cells can be measured.   The stack can be polarized using galvanostatic control, potentiostatic control of a single cell, or potentiostatic control of the stack’s overall voltage.    

Since the batteries in a simple ESC stack are connected in series, the current flow though each cell is identical.  The Reference 3000 always measures this current (which flows between the Counter and Working leads).  Since the current through each cell is known, only a measurement of the cell’s voltage (using one Auxiliary Electrometer channel) is needed to fully characterize an individual cell. 

Each Auxiliary Electrometer channel includes an offset D/A Converter and a filter that is switchable between unfiltered, 5 Hz, and 1 kHz positions.  This allows independent offset, filtering, and gain settings on each channel.  AC signals for EIS can be measured on a ±50 mV range with resolution of about 1.6 µV per bit. 

The Auxiliary Electrometer Option is not restricted to energy storage and conversion applications.   Each electrometer input can be used as general-purpose voltage measurement device.  You can measure voltages from temperature, pressure or strain transducers, or voltages of multiple reference electrodes in a cell.

Reference 3000 Rear Panel

The rear panel of the Reference 3000 has a wide array of inputs, outputs, and controls to accommodate virtually any electrochemical experiment.
 

The Reference 3000 is compatible with the Gamry ECM8 Multiplexer, but the current limit of the ECM8 is 1 amp, so caution is advised.
 

System Information

Gamry Instruments currently has software for ESC testing, including Stack Mode operation and Auxiliary Electrometer measurements, under development.   Planned experiments include load curves, cyclic battery charge/discharge, and EIS.  Contact Gamry for information on pricing and availability.

The Reference 3000 requires electrochemical software for specific electrochemical applications.  Gamry Software packages that currently support the Reference 3000 include:

Special cell cables for low impedance measurements and longer cell cables are also available.

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Last revised on Thursday, July 17, 2008