Cyclic voltammetry

Figure 1. Typical cyclic voltammogram where jpc and jpa show the peak cathodic and anodic current densities respectively for a reversible reaction with a 5 mM Fe redox couple reacting with a graphite electrode in 1M potassium nitrate solution. EPA and EPC denote the corresponding electrode potentials (vs. Ag/AgCl) of maximal reaction rates. For an ideal reversible (Nernstian) reaction the theoretical peak separation (EPA - EPC) is 57 mV[1].

In electrochemistry, cyclic voltammetry (CV) is a type of voltammetric measurement where the potential of the working electrode is ramped linearly versus time. Unlike in linear sweep voltammetry, after the set potential is reached in a CV experiment, the working electrode's potential is ramped in the opposite direction to return to the initial potential. These cycles in potential are repeated until the voltammetric trace reaches a cyclic steady state. The current at the working electrode is plotted versus the voltage at the working electrode to yield the cyclic voltammogram (see Figure 1). Cyclic voltammetry is generally used to study the electrochemical properties of an analyte in solution[2][3][4][1] or of a molecule that is adsorbed onto the electrode.

  1. ^ a b Elgrishi, Noémie; Rountree, Kelley J.; McCarthy, Brian D.; Rountree, Eric S.; Eisenhart, Thomas T.; Dempsey, Jillian L. (3 November 2017). "A Practical Beginner's Guide to Cyclic Voltammetry". Journal of Chemical Education. 95 (2): 197. Bibcode:2018JChEd..95..197E. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00361.Open access icon
  2. ^ Bard, Allen J.; Larry R. Faulkner (2000-12-18). Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications (2 ed.). Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-04372-0.
  3. ^ Nicholson, R. S.; Irving. Shain (1964-04-01). "Theory of Stationary Electrode Polarography. Single Scan and Cyclic Methods Applied to Reversible, Irreversible, and Kinetic Systems". Analytical Chemistry. 36 (4): 706–723. doi:10.1021/ac60210a007.
  4. ^ Heinze, Jurgen (1984). "Cyclic Voltammetry-"Electrochemical Spectroscopy". New Analytical Methods (25)". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 23 (11): 831–847. doi:10.1002/anie.198408313.