Electrochemical Workstation Troubleshooting Guide

Having a problem with your experiment results?

Here is a troubleshooting guide to help you identify and resolve the issue:

Table of Contents

Distorted Graph due to No Connection

No connection between electrode and crocodile connector will result in distortion of the graph in zigzag pattern; in this case just check the connection, if everything is connected perfectly.

Air bubble at the tip of the electrode

Overload

If the potentiostat is showing an overload symbol, there may be a possibility of the presence of bubble in the reference electrode. Just shake the electrode lightly to remove the bubble from the tip of the electrode and then restart the experiment.

Flat/Broad Peak due to Unclean Working Electrode

If the resultant peak from the experiment is showing flat/broad peak it may possibly be due to unclean working electrode because of the deposits of different chemicals on the electrode surface during previous experiments; the electrode can be polished with electrode polishing kit; it is explained in detail in this article.

If you still get issues then Test with Dummy Cell

After checking the cell setup if you still get issues then check your Potentiostat with Dummy Cell. After connecting to the dummy cell perform LSV. And check if the plotted graph follows Ohm’s Law. If you still get zigzag pattern then there may be problem with the cell cable.

Cell Cable Integrity

The cell cable is designed to withstand harsh condition such as mechanical stress or corrosive environments. Sometimes these factors can cause possible wear and tear to the cell cable which can lead to causing errors in the electrochemical measurements as a result. To check the integrity of the cell cable use the mu­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ltimeter and follow the instructions given below.

  1. Use the multimeter in continuity or resistance mode.
  2. Connect one end of the multimeter to “Green – Working” crocodile connector and the other end to the cable connector as shown in the image.
  3. Resistance should be very low or if in continuity mode you should hear beep sound
  4. Follow step 2 and 3 for “White – Reference”; “Red – Counter”; “Black – System Ground”

If everything else fails…

If you are still not able to solve problems please email support@phadkeinstruments.com