Cyclic voltammetry

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is a type of potentiodynamic electrochemical measurement. In a cyclic voltammetry experiment, the working electrode potential 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 of ramps in potential may be repeated as many times as needed. The current at the working electrode is plotted versus the applied voltage (that is, the working electrode's potential) to give the cyclic voltammogram trace. Cyclic voltammetry is generally used to study the electrochemical properties of an analyte in solution.

In cyclic voltammetry, the electrode potential ramps linearly versus time in cyclical phases (Figure 2). The rate of voltage change over time during each of these phases is known as the experiment's scan rate (V/s). The potential is measured between the working electrode and the reference electrode, while the current is measured between the working electrode and the counter electrode. These data are plotted as current (i) versus applied potential (E, often referred to as just 'potential'). In Figure 2, during the initial forward scan (from t₀ to t₁) an increasingly reducing potential is applied; thus the cathodic current will, at least initially, increase over this time period assuming that there are reducible analytes in the system. At some point after the reduction potential of the analyte is reached, the cathodic current will decrease as the concentration of reducible analyte is depleted. If the redox couple is reversible then during the reverse scan (from t₁ to t₂) the reduced analyte will start to be re-oxidized, giving rise to a current of reverse polarity (anodic current) to before. The more reversible the redox couple is, the more similar the oxidation peak will be in shape to the reduction peak. Hence, CV data can provide information about redox potentials and electrochemical reaction rates.

For instance, if the electron transfer at the working electrode surface is fast and the current is limited by the diffusion of analyte species to the electrode surface, then the peak current will be proportional to the square root of the scan rate. This relationship is described by the Cottrell equation. In this situation, the CV experiment only samples a small portion of the solution, i.e., the diffusion layer at the electrode surface.

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