Cyclic voltammetry

Cyclic voltammetry is an electrochemical technique that sweeps an electrode’s potential forward and backward while measuring current. The resulting voltammogram reveals redox behavior and electrode reaction kinetics.

Linear sweep voltammetry: An electrochemical method that sweeps electrode potential in one direction while measuring current. It omits the reverse scan that distinguishes cyclic voltammetry.
Working electrode: The electrode at which the electrochemical reaction under investigation occurs. Its surface is where the measured redox reaction takes place.
Ferrocene: An organometallic compound with a reversible one-electron oxidation to the ferrocenium ion. Its well-behaved redox couple often serves as a potential reference in nonaqueous measurements.
Differential pulse voltammetry: A pulse voltammetric method that measures current differences around a staircase potential waveform. It often improves sensitivity to small analyte concentrations over cyclic voltammetry.
Nernst equation: An equation relating an electrode potential to the activities of oxidized and reduced species. It predicts equilibrium potentials that help interpret redox peak positions.
Reference electrode: An electrode with a stable, known potential used to measure another electrode’s potential. The applied scan is defined relative to this stable potential.
Battery materials: Materials that store and release electrical energy through chemical reactions in rechargeable or primary batteries. Their redox potentials and cycling behavior can be screened with voltammetric measurements.
Square-wave voltammetry: A pulse voltammetric method using a square-wave signal superimposed on a staircase potential ramp. It combines rapid measurements with strong rejection of capacitive background current.
Diffusion: The net movement of particles from regions of higher concentration to lower concentration. Diffusion replenishes reactants at the electrode and shapes peak current.
Counter electrode: An electrode that completes the circuit and carries current opposite to the working electrode. It sustains the current while the working electrode potential is controlled.

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