Abstract:
A potentiostat is an electronic device that is used in various electrochemical studies. Electrochemistry is the study of electricity and its relationship with chemical reactions. Electrochemical studies like cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, and other amperometric studies are carried out on a potentiostat. In voltammetry, potentiostat controls an electrochemical cell where the applied potential is varied and corresponding current readings are found which are related to chemical reactions. These findings help to study electrochemical behavior and study redox reactions occurring at the surface of the electrode. A conventional potentiostat is sophisticated equipment and also priced high. The low-cost portable potentiostat can be designed using a microcontroller and operational amplifiers. STM32 Nucleo-144 board has been used in the construction of potentiostat, it is a 32-bit microcontroller that uses ARM architecture for its operation. It has a 12-bit wide Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) and Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). The principles of DAC and ADC along with the functions of operational amplifiers like summing amplification and current to voltage conversion can be utilized in the design of potentiostat. A varying potential is applied to the working electrode and the current changes in the counter electrode are recorded. STM32 is used because of its high operating speed and wide resolution. The obtained results were found to be on par with the conventional type. Low cost, portability, and usability are advantages of the microcontroller-based potentiostat.
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