Given the increased importance of energy storage applications, last year our engineering team designed a battery simulator (the Keithley 2281S).
It was designed to characterize a real rechargeable battery, then simulate it for our customers to test their products without having to use real batteries or cells. Our instrument is designed to work on many cell …
At a battery conference several months ago, I demonstrated how a source measure unit (SMU) can measure the internal resistance of energy storage devices such as a battery or a fuel cell by changing the load current from the battery operating current (commonly called the polarizing current) to the open circuit potential, and simultaneously measuring the change in cell voltage throughout the event …
Ever since I received one of those wrist worn fitness trackers for Christmas, I’ve been amazed at how sensor technology continues to evolve, especially to improve our health. I’ve been reading many articles and journal papers that have discussed the increasing technological advancements for sensors used in biology/medicine, environmental systems, and bioelectronics which have the potential to …
In a previous blog within the Electrochemistry series, we demonstrated how source-measure units (SMUs) can be used as a Potentiostat for Cyclic Voltammetry and other similar applications. Another great use for a source-measure unit like the Model 2450-EC and 2460-EC, is the measurement of open circuit potential (OCP) of an electrochemical cell. The OCP of an electrochemical cell is a voltage …
A number of people thanked me for explaining how to connect a Keithley potentiostat to a 3 electrode cell. Some of our customers who are doing galvanic cell (battery) testing do not use a reference electrode. They need to know how to hook up to a cell for charge / discharge applications.Connections are simple for a galvanic cell:FORCE HI to the positive terminalSENSE HI to the positive …
I was recently asked if a Keithley Source Measure Unit (SMU) can be used as a Potentiostat. The short answer is yes. SMUs are very versatile instruments that can source and measure voltage or current. They can compare the results as parameters (e.g. Voltammetry) or over time (e.g. Chronoamperometry).Potentiostats are excellent instruments that can control potential or current (galvanostat). They …
I have often been asked if it is possible to perform cyclic voltammetry, one of the most commonly used electrochemistry measurement techniques, with a source measure unit (SMU). SMU Instruments measure and source both current and voltage, which make them an alternative to today’s potentiostats. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), a type of potential sweep method, typically uses a 3-electrode cell. Figure 1 …
