Cyclic
voltammetry (CV) is the most
popular electrochemical technique
for the study of electrode processes. One of the reasons for its popularity
is its adjustable timescale which can vary several orders of magnitude
simply by varying the rate at which the potential is scanned. Changing
the scan rate affects CV features including the current, leading to
one of the basic questions in electrochemistry: Why is voltammetric
current scan rate dependent? Here, we present an activity centered
around the simulation of CV and corresponding time dependent electrode
processes. The activity draws students’ attention to the timescale
of voltammetric experiments and enables them to grasp the relationship
between currents and scan rates.
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