Hybrid EIS Setup Parameters

The following parameters are associated with the Hybrid Galvanostatic EIS experiment:

Hybrid Galvanostatic EIS Experiment

Initial Freq.

  • The starting point for the frequency sweep during data-acquisition. The frequency is entered in Hertz. The allowed range for Initial Freq. depends upon the potentiostat.
  • Interface 1000T and Interface 5000P’s maximum frequency = 20 kHz
  • Reference 600, Interface 1000E, Interface 3000 and 3000AE, Interface 5000E maximum frequency = 1 MHz
  • Reference 600+ maximum frequency = 5 MHz

Final Freq.

  • The ending point for the frequency sweep during data-acquisition. The frequency is entered in Hertz.
  • Interface 1000T and Interface 5000P’s maximum frequency = 20 kHz
  • Reference 600, Interface 1000E, Interface 3000 and 3000AE, Interface 5000E maximum frequency = 1 MHz
  • Reference 600+ maximum frequency = 5 MHz
  • EIS scans are usually run with the Initial Freq. larger than the Final Freq. This relationship is not required in the EIS software.

NOTE: The frequency sweep may not stop exactly at the final frequency. It is mathematically impossible to control both the Points/decade and Final Freq. parameters exactly for all scan ranges. The EIS software chooses to control the Points/decade parameter exactly.

Points/Decade

  • The density of the data in the impedance spectrum. The data are spaced logarithmically, and the number of data points in each decade in frequency exactly equals Points/decade. As a consequence, the frequency sweep often does not stop exactly at the final frequency. It is guaranteed to do so only when the scan range contains an integer number of decades, such as 5 kHz to 0.05 Hz (five decades).You can use the Initial Freq., Final Freq., and Points/decade parameters to calculate the total number of data points in the spectrum. Assuming that Initial Freq. = 5000, Final Freq. = 0.2 and Points/decade = 10 :
  • Sweep Range = log (Initial Freq.) – log(Final Freq.) = 3.69 – (–0.69) = 4.39 decades
  • Estimated Points = 1.5 + Sweep Range × Points/decade = 1.5 + 4.39 × 10 = 45.4
  • Number of Points = 45 points
  • The estimated number of points is always converted to an integer by truncating the fractional part of the number. The spectrum cannot contain more than 32 000 data points. This is not a serious limitation, because most impedance spectra contain fewer than 100 points.

AC Voltage

  • The amplitude of the desired AC voltage signal measured at the cell. The applied current is changed to a value that should give the desired AC Voltage. The units are rms (root mean square) mV. To convert the entered value into a peak-to-peak value, multiply by 2√2 (or ~2.83). In general, you can enter AC Voltage values between 0.1 mV and 3000 mV. Values greater than 25 mV cause a non-linear response in most electrochemical systems and are therefore not recommended.The system does not control the AC Voltage exactly. It is satisfied with an AC Voltage close to the desired value. This inaccuracy does not carry over into the measured impedance, because an accurately measured AC Voltage is used in the impedance calculation.

DC Current

  • The constant current applied to the cell throughout the frequency sweep. The AC Current is summed with the DC Current. In most cases, the DC Current should remain at its default value of zero.The DC Current is entered in amperes. The discussion of AC Current describes some limitations on the DC Current value.

Estimated Z

  • A user-entered estimate of the cell’s impedance at the Initial Frequency. It is used to limit the number of trials required before acquiring the first data point in an impedance spectrum. Before taking the first data point, the EIS software sets up the potentiostat and FRA to measure an impedance equal to Estimated Z, and tries to measure the cell’s impedance. If the estimate is fairly accurate, the first (or second) attempt to measure the impedance will succeed. If the estimate is poor, the system may take up to five trial readings before it finds the correct settings. It is generally sufficient if Estimated Z is within a factor of five of the cell’s impedance.
  • After the first data point, the last measured impedance is used to calculate new measurement settings, so the entered Estimated Z becomes unimportant. An accurate Estimated Z is more valuable when the initial frequency is low. Remember, 1 mHz is 1000 seconds per cycle. Each impedance reading requires at least three cycles at a given frequency, so five readings to find a range at 1 mHz will take over 4 hours! The units for Estimated Z are ohms. There is no reason to enter values larger than 1 TΩ (1012 Ω) or smaller than 0.01 Ω because these values drive the system settings to their most sensitive and least sensitive settings respectively.

Optimize for

  • A Setup parameter in Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy scripts. It offers three choices: Fast, Normal, and Low Noise.
    • Fast is the appropriate selection when a) the cell’s stability is poor and a spectrum must be measured rapidly or b) the system’s impedance is low and well defined.
    • Normal is the appropriate selection when the cell’s impedance is high or the electrochemical system is noisy.
    • The best data can be taken with the Low Noise selection. When Low Noise is chosen, the time required to record an EIS spectrum can be quite long. The EIS300 tries to explain 99.9% of the variation in each Lissajous curve by fitting the E and I data to sine waves at the excitation frequency. It will record and average as many as 20 Lissajous curves to achieve this accuracy.
  • There is a two-second delay after each data point to allow you to examine a Bode plot of the impedance spectrum.When Fast is chosen, the time required to record a spectrum is much shorter (often by a factor of 5). The fit accuracy is reduced from 99.9% to 99.5%. The maximum number of Lissajous curves is reduced, as low as 2 at low frequency. The Lissajous curve is not displayed after the first ranging point, so there is no need for delays when the display changes.

Drift Correction