Square-wave voltammetry

Abstract

This text is written as a very basic, first introduction to square-wave voltammetry, as one of the very specific, but most versatile techniques in the family of pulse voltammetric techniques. To make the text self-consistent, a brief introduction to voltammetry is initially given, to make the next elaboration of square-wave voltammetry more easily understandable. For more comprehensive introduction to voltammetric techniques, the previous chem-text is recommended (Scholz in ChemTexts 1:17, 2015). The aim of the current text is to explain the basic features of square-wave voltammetry, to reveal the essential idea behind the specific shape of the excitation signal used, as well as to demonstrate that square-wave voltammetry is highly suited to study the mechanism of electrode reactions. The latter is illustrated by addressing the simplest experimental situation encountered in voltammetry to make the text didactically suited for broader student population studying chemistry and related sciences.