Electrochemical Cells

In an electrochemical experiment, the sample, or Working Electrode, is mounted in a cell. The cell also contains a Reference Electrode and a Counter Electrode. It may also contain provision for deaeration and stirring, or you may want to use a Rotating Electrode for very precise mass transport. It may also have a port for a thermometer, especially if it is temperature-controlled.

The Working Electrode may be the electroactive sample of interest. This is usually the case in corrosion studies, sensor development, and battery development. If you're studying the electrochemistry of a solution species, then the Working Electrode is likely to be an inert material such as platinum, gold, or glassy carbon.

In any event, you need a cell to present your sample to the Potentiostat. You can buy a cell from Gamry or from other sources. Cells are rarely, if ever, designed to work with a specific potentiostat. That means that a cell manufactured by Gamry will work on other potentiostats. If you're a Gamry user and you want to use a cell that is not manufactured by Gamry, it will work just fine.

Gamry provides a wide range of electrochemical cells, described below.

Regardless of the specific electrochemical cell, you should always pay special attention to the Reference Electrode. Click here for important information on the Reference Electrode.

There one more issue that applies to all cells -- noise pickup. A Faraday Cage is a device to shield your electrochemical cell from the pickup of environmental noise. The Gamry VistaShield Faraday Cage is an excellent investment for your electrochemical lab.

	Dr. Bob's™ Cell for Small-Scale Voltammetry Classic electrochemical cell for performing cyclic voltammetry with platinum, gold, or glassy carbon electrode. Available in a jacketed version for temperature control.
	ParaCell™ Corrosion Cell The ParaCell is designed for corrosion measurements on flat samples. It finally solves the problem of the trapped air bubble in the Reference Electrode Bridge Tube. It also works nicely for galvanic corrosion experiments and electrochemical noise measurementsl
	MultiPort™ Corrosion Cell Classic one-liter corrosion cell for ASTM Standard experiments. Available in a jacketed or unjacketed version.
	EuroCell™ Corrosion Cell Modern 100-200 ml. corrosion cell in a jacketed or unjacketed version.
	PTC1 Paint Test Cell Economical cell for flat painted samples or flat metal samples for corrosion measurement.
	RDE710 Rotating Electrode High-precision rotating electrode for rotating disk, rotating ring-disk, or rotating cylinder experiments.
	Flexcell™ The Flexcell is the only electrochemical cell that is guaranteed to eliminate crevice corrosion.