Optional modules for Eco Chemie Autolab systems

Unlimited possibilities! The various modules allow you to customize your Autolab PGSTAT to your needs. All available modules are described below. The FRA2 impedance module and the current booster units are listed separately.

ADC750

The ADC750 module is a fast sampling module that increases the sampling rate of the Autolab from 50 kHz to 750 kHz giving you the ability to acquire fast transients with intervals down to 1.5 µs.

When combined with the SCAN-GEN module, you can perform cyclic voltammetry measurements with scan rates up to 10 kV/s, making it a powerful tool for studying fast kinetic processes.

Applications:

• Accurate determination of ohmic drop using current interrupt
• Measurement of rapid reaction kinetics on microelectrodes
• Measurement of rapid transients during the charge and discharge cycle of supercapacitors

SCAN-250

The staircase method for cyclic voltammetry is widely used in digital instruments as the currents due to the charging of the double layer are reduced if the duration of the step is sufficiently long. This results in data that can be treated as originating from faradaic processes only.

When the processes exhibit very fast transient behavior, such as hydrogen adsorption, digital sweep can lead to loss of information regarding the adsorption process. The SCAN250 module, which has the capability of applying a true analog sweep to the sample, was specially designed to overcome this problem. The true linear scan rate range is from 10 mV/s to 250 kV/s. The SCAN250 module in combination with ADC750 is a very powerful tool for studying fast transients.

Applications:

• Measurement of capacitive as well as faradaic processes at the same time
• Measurement of processes exhibiting rapid transient behavior such as hydrogen adsorption
• Ultra-fast cyclic voltammetry and ultra-fast chrono-amperometry

MUX

The MUX module series allows you to perform electrochemical experiments on multiple cells sequentially. The cell to perform measurement on can be selected either manually or automatically using the software option “Project Mode.”

Eco Chemie offers three types of MUX modules:

• MUX.MULTI4 - Sequential measurements on complete electrochemical cells, up to 64 cells with increments of 4 can be measured
• MUX.SCNR8 - Sequential measurements on cells that share the same counter and reference electrode but have a different working and sense electrode, up to 128 cells with increments of 8 can be measured
• MUX.SCNR16 - Sequential measurements on cells that share the same counter, reference and sense electrode but different working electrode, up to 255 different working electrodes with increments of 16 can be measured

BA

The BA is a dual-mode bipotentiostat module that converts the Autolab into a double channel potentiostat with which measurements on 2 working electrodes can be performed sharing the same counter and reference electrode.

In the standard mode, a fixed potential is applied to the second channel (second Working Electrode) while applying a potential step or a sweep to the first channel (first Working Electrode). In the optional scanning bipotentiostat mode, a potential offset with respect to the first channel is applied to the second channel. The BA module has 7 current ranges (10 nA - 10 mA) available. The current range during measurement can be either fixed manually or selected automatically by the software, the maximum current is 50 mA.

Applications:

• Measurements on rotating ring-disk electrodes (RRDE)
• Measurements on wall jet ring-disk electrodes (WJRDE)
• Measurements on tube/channel double electrodes (TDE/CDE)

MultiBA

The BA module is available in a MultiBA configuration in which up to 5 extra channels, sharing the same counter and reference electrode, can be added to the Autolab (PGSTAT12 or PGSTAT302N), one for each additional BA module.

Each extra channel has an independent offset with respect to the reference electrode (in standard mode) or the first channel (in scanning bipotentiostat mode). The mode of each channel can be set independently, the maximum current is 50 mA.

Applications:

• Measurements on sensor arrays
• Measurements on interdigitated electrodes

ECN

During localized corrosion, electrochemical noise (ECN) is generated by a combination of stochastic (random) processes, such as breakdown of passive films and repassivation.

Electrochemical noise is an in-situ technique for measuring these localized corrosion processes on bare or coated metal samples. During measurements with the ECN module, no external perturbation (potential or current) is applied to the electrode. The potential and current signals are measured as a function of time.
The accompanying analysis software allows the current and potential versus time data to be analyzed using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The software also provides several filtering and mathematical methods for treating electrochemical noise signals.

Applications:

• Pitting corrosion studies
• Study of high impedance coatings

ECD

The lowest current range available on the standard Autolab is 10 nA. At this current range, the Autolab has a current resolution of 30 fA. When doing measurements on microelectrodes, some times even higher resolution is needed. Originally designed for electrochemical detection (ECD) in HPLC and FIA, the ECD module makes the measurement of such low currents possible.

The ECD module provides two additional current ranges of 1 nA and 100 pA, giving a minimum current resolution of 0.3 fA. The ECD module also has a built-in third-order Sallen-Key filter, with three RC-time constants that help to filter out noise.

Applications:

• Electrochemical measurements on microelectrodes
• Detection of heavy metals in aqueous solutions in ultra low concentrations

FI20

The FI20 filter and integrator module allows you to do coulometric and chronocoulometric experiments. The analog integrator gives you the possibility to measure charge instead of current, and it can be used both in cyclic voltammetry as well as in potential step experiments.

With this module, it is easy to separate the capacitive current from the faradaic current. In addition the integrator is effective in reducing signal noise by averaging it out. The third-order Sallen-Key filter with selectable RC-times between 0 and 500 ms can be used to filter out noise. The module is also useful in cases where the background noise (50 Hz or 60 Hz, for example) cannot be removed by using measures like a Faraday cage.

Applications:

• Direct measurement of charge
• Electrochemical measurements on microelectrodes
• Electrolysis and electroplating

pX

With the pX module installed in an Autolab instrument, you can measure pH or pX in parallel with an electrochemical measurement. You can connect any pH, pX or “double” electrode to the pH module.

In case an electrode other than a pH electrode is used, the output is given as the voltage difference that is measured between the electrodes making it possible to connect a detection electrode to perform coulometric titration. The pX module also works as an independent pH meter.

Applications:

• Coulometric titration
• Complexometric titration