Potentiostat for use with electrochemical cells
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRonald K. Galwey, Kay K. Kanazawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved potentiostat for use with electrochemical cells provides dynamic protection of both the electrochemical cell elements and the sensitive potentiostat components from any significant voltage or current overload. A comparator compares the potentiostat input voltage with the electrochemical cell reference electrode voltage. When the reference electrode voltage becomes substantially different from the potentiostat input voltage and exceeds a certain preset value, the comparator activates a control means that causes the cell current to go to zero. This system provides dynamic protection even as the input voltage varies.
Claims9
A dynamic protection system for an electrochemical potentiostat-cell system having an input voltage V.sub.IN and a reference electrode with a potential V.sub.R comprising
- control means associated with the cell system, and
- a comparator associated with said control means for comparing the difference between V.sub.R and V.sub.IN wherein when the magnitude of the difference between the values of V.sub.IN and V.sub.R exceeds a preselected value said control means causes the current in the cell to go to zero.
A potentiostat for use with an electrochemical cell having an input voltage V.sub.IN and a reference electrode with a potential V.sub.R comprising
- control means associated with said input voltage means and the cell, and
- a comparator associated with said control means for comparing the difference between V.sub.R and V.sub.IN wherein when the magnitude of the difference between the values of V.sub.IN and V.sub.R exceeds a preselected value, said control means causes the current in the cell to go to zero.
An electrochemical potentiostat-cell system comprising
- an electrochemical cell having a reference electrode with a potential V.sub.R,
- a potentiostat associated with said cell and having an input voltage V.sub.IN,
- control means electrically connected to said cell, and
- a comparator for comparing the difference between V.sub.R and V.sub.IN associated with said control means wherein when the magnitude of the difference between the values of V.sub.IN and V.sub.R exceeds a preselected value, said control means causes the current in said cell to go to zero.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.