ERIC Number: EJ1195691
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Sep
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
An Easily Fabricated Low-Cost Potentiostat Coupled with User-Friendly Software for Introducing Students to Electrochemical Reactions and Electroanalytical Techniques
Li, Yuguang C.; Melenbrink, Elizabeth L.; Cordonier, Guy J.; Boggs, Christopher; Khan, Anupama; Isaac, Morko Kwembur; Nkhonjera, Lameck Kabambalika; Bahati, David; Billinge, Simon J.; Haile, Sossina M.; Kreuter, Rodney A.; Crable, Robert M.; Mallouk, Thomas E.
Journal of Chemical Education, v95 n9 p1658-1661 Sep 2018
This paper presents a teaching kit that combines the fabrication of a low-cost microcontroller-based potentiostat and a LabVIEW-generated graphical user interface. The potentiostat enables undergraduate-level students to learn electroanalytical techniques and characterize energy conversion devices such as solar cells. The purpose of this teaching module is to make the introduction of electrochemistry accessible to undergraduate laboratories, especially those with limited financial resources and without expertise in electronics or programming. The electronic circuit components for the potentiostat are readily available and easy to assemble. The graphical user interface replaces any programming-based interface, displays data in real time, and interacts with user commands. The software package is a stand-alone executable file that is compatible with any PC and is provided in the Supporting Information. Cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry functions are demonstrated with representative electrochemical experiments, and the data obtained are comparable to those obtained with a research-grade potentiostat. This teaching module is user-friendly so that it can be easily adapted into the undergraduate classroom. We make available in the Supporting Information all of the necessary instructions and information, including schematics for the potentiostat, circuit layout, electronic components, case fabrication, step-by-step instructions for assembly, software user interface, and detailed operating instructions.
Descriptors: Computer Software, Chemistry, Science Instruction, Computer Graphics, Computer Interfaces, College Science, Undergraduate Students, Equipment, Science Laboratories, Science Experiments
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A