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PTC1 Paint Test Cell

Paint and coatings test cell
Cited in the literature See research citations →

A low-cost cell for electrochemical testing of coated samples, suited to EIS on painted metal specimens.

What it does
  • Low-cost cell for electrochemical testing of coated samples — deliberately simple, because most labs need many of them
  • Flat sample clamps between an o-ring-sealed glass tube and a PTFE base
  • Takes 20-50 mL of electrolyte, sealed with a rubber stopper carrying the reference and graphite counter electrode
  • Also tests bare metal when used with PortHoles sample masks (1, 3 and 10 cm2 included, two each)
  • Reference electrode not included
For applications including
Paints & CoatingsCorrosion
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// Research citations

Cited in the literature

Independent research citations for this instrument are provided by Bioz and appear here once the widget loads.

Citation data provided by Bioz.
// Overview

The PTC1™ Paint Test Cell is a low-cost sample cell for electrochemical testing of coated samples.  The PTC1™ can also be used to test bare metal samples using PortHoles™ Electrochemical Sample Masks. 

    • PTC1 Cell Body (with O-Ring)
    • Rubber Stopper
    • Graphite Rod - 8mm x 6"
    • Clamp
    • PortHoles(TM), Electrochemical Sample Masks: 1cm2, 3cm2, 10cm2 (2 each)
    • PTC1 Instruction Sheet

Does not include RE

Product Details

Overview

The design of the PTC1™ Part No. 990-197) is very simple in order to keep cost down, since most users will require many cells for testing. The flat sample under test is clamped between a glass tube with an O-ring seal and the PTFE base. The tube is partly filled (20-50 mL) with the test electrolyte and sealed with a rubber stopper. A reference electrode (possibly Saturated Calomel) and a graphite rod counter electrode are mounted through the stopper.

For users concerned about graphite particles from the counter electrode contaminating the solution, then use the Counter Electrode Bridge Tube (990-194) with a Platinum wire counter electrode. The platinum counter electrode is isolated from the sample electrolyte by a glass frit.

Recommended Uses

Paints and Coatings

The PTC1™ is perfect for testing of painted metal specimens using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. The exposed area of almost 15 cm2 is sufficiently large to incorporate a statistically significant number of defects in the coating. The large area is also a positive attribute from the data acquisition standpoint, since high impedance samples such as coatings are characterized by low current densities.

The PTC1™’s low cost becomes important for this application since high sample throughput and long-term exposure may require many cells setup at any given time. This type of testing is made most cost effective when combined with a multiplexer.

Corrosion Testing

The PTC1™ can also serve as a low cost flat cell for corrosion testing. It does not possess the larger volume necessary for longer tests or faster corroding materials, but for running a quick open circuit and polarization resistance test it can serve quite well. It will also work well for very low corrosion rate measurements since the exposed area can be large. For most corrosion testing of flat specimens, however, consider a ParaCell™ or, if crevice corrosion is a major problem, a FlexCell™.

Accessories

Parts available for the PTC1 Paint Test Cell Kit include:

// Specifications

The complete technical detail

Metal Specimen
Disk ShapeDiameter at least 70 mm
Square Shapeat least 60 mm on a side
Thickness1- 10 mm
Vessel Dimensions
Volume20 ml ( minimum volume ); 50 ml ( maximum volume )
Inner Diameter30 mm
Temperature Range
Operating-25ºC to 140ºC
Chemical Compatibility
MaterialsPyrex™, PTFE, Viton™, silicone rubber
// Resources

Documentation

Documentation
PTC1 Data SheetPDF PTC1 Paint Test Cell Kit User's ManualPDF
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