Voltammetry of Constant Phase Elements: Analyzing Scan Rate Effects

Abstract

Here we introduce a new method for characterizing the constant phase element (CPE) in electrochemical systems using cyclic voltammetry (CV), presenting an alternative to the conventional electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) approach. While CV is recognized for its diagnostic capabilities in electrochemical analysis, it traditionally encounters difficulties in accurately measuring CPE systems due to a lack of clear linearity with scan rates, unlike capacitors. Our research demonstrates a linear relationship between current and scan rate on a log–log plot, enabling the calculation of <italic>n</italic> and <italic>Y</italic>0 values for CPE from the slopes of these linear relationships. For validation of our method, it is applied to two kinds of capacitors and the results agree with those measured by EIS. Although EIS is known to be accurate in measuring CPE systems, our alternative approach offers a timely and reasonably precise diagnostic tool, balancing between ease of use and accuracy, especially beneficial for preliminary assessments before conducting further in-depth analysis.