Ultramicroelectrode

An ultramicroelectrode (UME) is a working electrode used in a voltammetry. The small size of UME give them large diffusion layers and small overall currents. These features allow UME to achieve useful steady-state conditions and very high scan rates (V/s) with limited distortion. UME were developed independently by Wightman[1] and Fleischmann around 1980.[2] Small current at UME enables electrochemical measurements in low conductive media (organic solvents), where voltage drop associated with high solution resistance makes these experiments difficult for conventional electrodes.[3] Furthermore, small voltage drop at UME leads to a very small voltage distortion at the electrode-solution interface which allows using two-electrode setup in voltammetric experiment instead of conventional three-electrode setup.

  1. ^ Wightman, R. Mark (August 1981). "Microvoltammetric electrodes". Analytical Chemistry. 53 (9): 1125A–1134A. doi:10.1021/ac00232a004.
  2. ^ Heinze, Jurgen (September 1993). "Ultramicroelectrodes in Electrochemistry". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 32 (9): 1268–1288. doi:10.1002/anie.199312681.
  3. ^ Bond, A.M.; Fleischmann, M.; Robinson, J. (May 1984). "Electrochemistry in organic solvents without supporting electrolyte using platinum microelectrodes". Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry and Interfacial Electrochemistry. 168 (1–2): 299–312. doi:10.1016/0368-1874(84)87106-3.