Potentiostat
User Manual
Ossila.com
23
Ossila Limited © 2021
with the help of a syringe and needle until the tube is approximately 2/3 full. Insert this electrode
into the final hole in the cap.
(V)
Degas the Solution
Gently bubble inert gas through the solution using a thin tube or needle for approximately 10
minutes to remove dissolved oxygen.
(VI)
Connect the Potentiostat and Cell
Use the cable to connect the Potentiostat and electrodes. The connector colour corresponds to
which electrode it connects to:
•
Red -> Working electrode
•
Black -> Counter electrode
•
Blue -> Reference electrode
9.5.2
Taking a Measurement
(I)
Start-up Procedure
Please allow 30 minutes for the potentiostat to warm up after turning on. Once warmed up, start
the Ossila Electrochemistry software
and select the “Voltammetry” tab
. Ensure that the
potentiostat is detected by the software. If it is, the “Connected Systems” drop
-down box will be
populated, and the “Measure” button will be green. If there is nothing in the “Connected Systems”
drop-
down box and the “Measure” button is greyed out, please refer to the troubleshooting guide
in
Section 11
(II)
Experimental Parameters
Choose the appropriate current range for the material being measured. Fc will give a signal in the
tens to hundreds of microamps, therefore the 200 μA range should be
selected from the drop-
down box (Autorange can also be used).
The scan profile needs to be defined. In a cyclic voltammetry measurement Fc undergoes a
reversible single electron transfer between 0 and 0.2 V (versus Ag/AgNO
3
). We can therefore use
the scan profile shown in
, sweeping the voltage from -0.4 V to 0.6 V and back to -0.4
V. Set the “Start Potential” and “Potential Vertex 2” fields t
o -0.4
V and the “Potential Vertex 1” field
to 0.6 V.
