I am using Gamry 600 for Cyclic Voltametry. Counter electrode is Pt wire, working electrode is carbon nanofiber and electrolyte is 1M HCL. As soon as I start experiments effervescence (bubbles) on the surface of both electrode starts to take place. Gamry 600 shows current overload sign as well.
what steps should be taken to solve this issue?
You have answer in your question it self, it is Gamry 600 shows current overload sign as well. Because of current overload, water dissociation is taken place at the electrodes (hydrogen and oxygen evolution, depends on current sign).
So, check your system whether any kind of short circuit or electrodes touches with each other or not.
I agree with Oleg. Is hydrogen evolution. Should set voltage and use buffer to avoid this process.
It has negative effect also in integrity of material. We observed sometimes when the electrode is not well dried this phenomena may occur
Dear friends thanks for your replies and suggestions
@ Oleg Brylev, I agree about evolution of hydrogen and chlorine at respective electrodes. but there was no evolution last week. and this phenomenon started to take place yesterday. earlier it was working just fine. and i was getting proper CV curves
@Sujoy Sarkar, good suggestion. I have already checked all connections, short circuits but i didnt observe anything unusual.
@Antonio Fernandes, my colleague is using a buffer which keeps the ph at 5.1 but facing same issue of bubbling.
Does anyone of you think that it might be due to the malfunctioning of reference electrode i.e Saturated Colemal Electrode (SCE)?
Maintain the distance between counter and working electrode.
Depth of electrode in the solvent is also a matter.
dear Asad,
try to replace the old (used) cell 's electrolyte with a new. Also, if you have time, you may start (first) with a lower concentration e.g. 0.1M HCL. and then the 1M HCL.
please cheek also your connection, if there is problem with your reference electrode connection
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