Accessories
Metrohm Autolab provides you with several accessories for setting up your experiments.
Autolab Rotating Disk Electrode
The Autolab RDE is a high-end rotating disk electrode for measurements on systems where high rotation speed and low noise are required. The unit can go up to 10,000 rpm, a liquid Hg contact guarantees low noise. The PCTFE shaft has been designed to fit in Metrohm cell vessels, but also fits on most other electrochemical cells. The tip diameter is 10 mm, with an active surface diameter of 3 mm.
The rotation speed of the RDE is controlled manually with the button on the front of the motor control unit. The RDE can also be controlled remotely with the Autolab software by connecting the unit to an available DAC channel. The rotation speed can be varied continuously between 100 and 10,000 rpm with a resolution of 1 rpm. The maximum operating temperature for RDE and tip is 40 °C.
Electrodes
A range of electrodes is available. Besides reference electrodes (Ag/AgCl) and counter electrodes (platinum or glassy carbon), electrode tips are available in different sizes and different materials. A special series of working electrodes for the RDE is also available. In combination with the Metrohm tipholder 6.1241.060 and M4 contact pin 6.2103.120, these electrodes can also be used as a normal working electrode. An empty electrode tip is available for those who want to use their own materials.
Available material and size:
Platinum, Gold, Silver and Glassy Carbon in 3 mm and 5 mm. The empty tip is suitable for 5 mm discs. The operational temperature range is from 0 to 40° C.
Micro-electrodes
A range of micro-electrodes is available for sensor research. They are available in 5 different materials: Platinum, Gold, Palladium, Silver and Iridium and are configured to fit the Metrohm universal tipholder, making it easy to exchange tips of different sizes and materials. The electrodes are specially designed by sealing small diameter wires in glass and polished to mirror finish.
Available material and size:
Platinum | 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300 and 500 um |
Gold | 10, 25, 40, 100, 200, 300 and 500 um |
Palladium | 25, 60, 100, 200, 300 and 500 um |
Silver | 25, 30, 60, 100, 200, 300 and 500 um |
Iridium | 75 um |
EasyCon Electrode Kit
Easy-Constructed Electrode Kit is a flexible tool to construct your own electrodes in an easy, reproducible and cost effective way. With each kit 25 electrodes of any material can be produced for the price of 3 to 4 standard electrodes.
Corrosion cells
The corrosion cells have been designed to measure the corrosion properties of circular samples immersed in an electrolyte. We can provide two types: a 250 to 400 ml version with a sample holder on the side and a 1 litre version with a sample holder on the top.
The 1 litre corrosion cell has been designed according to ASTM standards, the sample holder can fit 16 mm diameter samples. The exposed surface area is 1.0 cm2. The holder is made of PolyPropylene with a seal of PTFE.
The 400 ml corrosion cell has been designed to measure the corrosion properties of 14 mm diameter and 1 mm thick flat circular samples immersed in an electrolyte. The exposed surface area is 0.785 cm2. The setup comprises of a glass container with a thermostatic jacket and a glass top designed to be fitted with a reference electrode, two counter electrodes, a thermometer and a gas inlet/outlet for purging. The reference electrode is positioned close to the sample by using a Luggin capillary.
The POM sample holder is mounted on the side of the corrosion cell and the sample is sealed leak-tight by a Viton O-ring.
Faraday cage
The Autolab Faraday cage has been designed to allow you to protect your electrochemical setup from electromagnetic interference from external sources such as computer monitors, other instruments or power lines. An earth terminal is available in the Faraday cage to connect it to the Autolab to prevent ground loops.
Flat cell
The flat cell has been designed to measure corrosion properties of large flat coated or bare metal samples immersed in an electrolyte solution. It consists of a glass vessel fitted on a PVC holder, leakage of electrolyte is prevented by the use of a Viton O-ring and three wing nuts. The exposed surface area of the sample is 16.9 cm2. The flat cell is supplied with a large area stainless steel counter electrode and Ag/AgCl reference electrode.
Metrohm 663 VA Stand
The Metrohm 663 VA stand forms the wet chemical part of a polarographic and voltammetric system that can be controlled by the Autolab potentiostat in conjunction with the IME663 interface. The following functions can be controlled from the Autolab software:
- Purge on/off
- New drop
- Stirrer
The size of the mercury drop and the stirrer speed are set manually on the VA stand. It is equiped with an Ag/AgCl reference elctrode and a Glassy Carbon counter electrode. The VA Stand can be operated in DME, HMDE and SMDE mode.
IME
IME's are used to connect a mercury drop electrode system to the Autolab instrument and to control the electrode via that interface. There are two types available; IME663 and IME303.
The IME303 is used to control the PAR303 mercury electrode and the IME663 is used to control the Metrohm 663 VA Stand. The IME303 can also be used to control home made electrodes.
HT Rotahull
A Hull cell is a commonly used device for control of plating baths. A disadvantage of the classical Hull cell is the absence of mass controlled transport conditions. To overcome that problem, the HT Rotahull, a rotating Hull cell, has been designed.
The cell consists of a rotating cylinder electrode with a counter electrode placed at one end. Between the cylinder and the counter electrode is an insulating separator. The current distribution is determined by the diameter of this separator, which is open at the bottom to allow the current to flow through. Therefore, the current distribution on the surface of the electrode will be the highest at the bottom and will decrease going upwards.