Gamry Instruments has introduced the EQCM 10M electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance.
The EQCM 10M has been developed by researchers at the University of Regensburg in Germany.
The frequency of the quartz crystal is scanned in the region of the resonant frequency.
A software package records the data and fits the impedance response, in real time, to evaluate the series and parallel resonant frequencies.
Knowledge of the series and parallel resonant frequencies can yield information about the visco-elastic behaviour of the material attached to the crystal surface.
The EQCM 10M is connected to a computer via the USB interface and is isolated from earth ground.
This allows for a direct connection to be made to one of the electrodes of the quartz crystal, which can be used as a working electrode in an electrochemical cell.
A potentiostat can be used to control the potential of the working electrode to study electrochemical changes.
The coupling of electrochemical and mass changes can be evaluated and can help in the elucidation of reaction mechanisms.
The EQCM 10M can be used in research areas including coatings evaluation, corrosion, conducting polymers, catalyst evaluation, batteries, self-assembled monolayers, and antibody-antigen interactions.
