Compliance Voltage

Compliance Voltage is used to change the maximum voltage output of a Reference™ 3000 potentiostat.

Compliance voltage is the maximum voltage that can be applied between the counter electrode and working electrode. Most potentiostats offer bipolar output voltage, so the output voltage can be either positive or negative. The Reference 3000 switches between ±30 V compliance and ±15 V compliance.

Compliance current is the maximum current that can be applied through an electrochemical cell. The current can be positive or negative.

The Reference 3000 was designed to have a maximum output power of approximately 45 W. Electrical power is the defined as voltage × current. That is, at constant power, voltage is inversely proportional to current. So, with a ±30 V compliance voltage, the compliance current is ±1.5 A. When the compliance voltage is lowered to ±15 V, the compliance current increases to ±3 A.

Run Compliance Voltage by selecting Experiment >Utilities > Compliance Voltage on the Framework menu bar. Follow the instructions in the resulting windows.