Design and validation of a low-cost open-source impedance based quartz crystal microbalance for electrochemical research

Rens J. Horst*, Antonis Katzourakis, Bastian T. Mei, Sissi de Beer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
214 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurement technique is utilized in a broad variety of scientific fields and applications, where surface and interfacial processes are relevant. However, the costs of purchasing QCMs is typically high, which has limited its employment in education as well as by scientists in developing countries. In this article, we present an open-source QCM, built on the OpenQCM project, and using an impedance-based measurement technique (QCM-I), which can be built for <200 euro. Our QCM allows for simultaneous monitoring of the frequency change and dissipation, such that both soft and rigid materials can be characterized. In addition, our QCM measurements can be combined with simultaneous electrochemical measurement techniques (EQCM-I). We demonstrate the validity of our system by characterizing the electrodeposition of a rigid metallic film (Cu) and by the electropolymerization of aniline. Finally, we discuss potential improvements to our system.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere00374
JournalHardwareX
Volume12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance
  • Electrochemistry
  • Open-source

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