WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Cyclic Voltammetry Corrupted by Ohmic Drop

​
redox reaction
A + e ⇌ B
log Λ
0
α
f
0.5
log
D
B
/
D
A
0
ρ
10
This Demonstration models the undesirable effect of the uncompensated resistance of the electrolyte on the cyclic voltammogram of a redox reaction (
A+e⇌B
) involving soluble species. The black line is the ideal voltammogram plotted without ohmic drop. The ohmic drop describes the overpotential due to the current flow in the electrolyte. The blue line is the voltammogram corrupted by ohmic drop. The orange line is the voltammogram obtained from the blue line when the electrode potential is numerically corrected for ohmic drop. You can experiment with the effects of electron transfer kinetics, mass transport and ohmic drop using the controls for the dimensionless parameters. The plots show the dimensionless current density
ψ
as a function of the dimensionless potential
ξ
.