- Description
- Techniques
- Specifications
- Software
- Corrosion Cell
- Handbook
- Rugged carrying case
- High quality, double shielded cell cable with 2 mm banana
connectors for Working, Counter, Reference electrode and Ground - Crocodile clips
- USB cable
- PSTrace software for Windows
- Potentiostatic Polarization
- Galvanostatic Polarization
- Linear Polarization
- Cyclic Polarization
- Corrosion Potential
- Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)
- Linear Polarization
- Cyclic Polarization
- Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV)
- Square Wave Voltammetry (SWV)
- Normal Pulse Voltammetry (NPV)
- AC Voltammetry (ACV)
- Stripping chronopotentiometry (PSA or SCP)
- Corrosion Potential Measurement
- Chronoamperometry (CA)
- Pulsed Amperometric Detection (PAD)
- Multiple Pulse Amperometry (MPAD)
- Fast amperometry (FAM)
- Chronopotentiometry (CP)
- Multistep Amperometry (MA)
- Multistep Potentiometry (MP)
- Mixed Mode (MM)
- Potential scan
- Time scan
- Fixed potential
- Multiplexer for using up to 8 or 16 cells with one potentiostat
- Pt1000 temperature sensor.
- USB galvanic isolator for floating measurements.
- Differential Electrometer Amplifier (DEA) for use as floating voltage amplifier with differential input and single output for measuring an auxiliary signal between -5 to +5 V or -10 to +10 V.
Product Description
PalmSens4 is a USB and battery powered Potentiostat, Galvanostat, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analyser. The PalmSens4 has a large potential range (-10V to 10V) and current range (100 pA to 10 mA) with a high resolution and low noise. This instrument is a complete laboratory instrument but its compact and rugged design makes it also ideal for field work.
PalmSens4 allows for a wide range of corrosion analysis methods; polarization curves to extract the tafel slopes, corrosion rates, corrosion current, apply a current to the surface for electroplating, deposit films or force corrosion to happen. Additionally you can perform EIS (Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy) from 0.1 µHz to 1 MHz, which will allow you to extract the coating resistance, the polarization resistance, the pore resistance, the coating capacitance, water uptake of a coating and to estimate the time to failure (TTF).
Available Configurations
The PalmSens4 is available with ±5V or ±10V DC-potential range and with different maximum frequencies for FRA / EIS. The following table shows the applicable product codes:
DC-Potential Range of ±5V [05] |
DC-Potential Range of ±10V [10] |
|
---|---|---|
EIS up to 100 kHz [F1] | PS4.F1.05 | PS4.F1.10 |
EIS up to 1 MHz [F2] | PS4.F2.05 | PS4.F2.10 |
Standard included with a PalmSens4:
Supported techniques
The following techniques are supported by PalmSens4:
Corrosion techniques:
Voltammetric techniques:
These methods can all be used in their stripping modes which are applied for (ultra-) trace analysis.
Technique as a function of time:
Impedance spectroscopy / EIS:
Scans can be made at a fixed frequency or with a frequency scan.
General | |
---|---|
dc-potential range | ± 10 V (or ± 5 V) |
compliance voltage | ± 10V |
maximum current | ± 30 mA (typical) |
max. acquisition rate | 150,000 data points/s |
Potentiostat (controlled potential mode) | |
applied dc-potential resolution | 75 µV |
applied potential accuracy | ≤ 0.1% ± 1 mV offset |
current ranges | 100 pA to 10 mA (9 ranges) |
current accuracy | ≤ 0.1 % (at Full Scale Range) |
measured current resolution | 0.006 % of current range (5 fA on 100 pA range) |
Galvanostat (controlled current mode) | |
current ranges | 1 nA to 10 mA (8 ranges) |
applied dc-current range | ± 6 times applied current range |
applied dc-current resolution | 0.005 % of applied current range |
measured dc-potential accuracy | 75 μV at ± 10 V 7.5 μV at ± 1 V 0.75 μV at ± 0.1 V |
FRA / EIS (impedance measurements) | |
frequency range | 10 μHz to 1 MHz (or 10 μHz to 100 kHz) |
ac-amplitude range | 1 mV to 0.25 V rms, or 0.6 V p-p |
Electrometer | |
electrometer amplifier input | > 1 TΩ // 10 pF |
bandwidth | 1 MHz |
Other | |
housing | aluminium with rubber sleeve: 15.7 x 9.7 x 3.5 cm3 |
weight | 500 g |
temperature range | 0 ºC to + 50 ºC |
power supply | USB or internal LiPo battery |
communication | USB and Bluetooth |
battery time | > 16 hours idle time > 4 hours with cell on at max. current Extendable by means of power bank |
internal storage space | 4 GB or +/- 400000 measurements incl. method info (assuming 200 data points per measurement) |
Auxiliary port (D-Sub 15) | |
analog input | ± 10 V, 18 bit |
analog output | 0-10 V, 12 bit (1 kOhm output impedance) |
4 digital outputs | 0-3.3 V |
1 digital input | 0-3.3 V (5 V tolerant) |
I-out and E-out | raw output of current and potential E-out ± 10 V (1 kOhm output impedance) I-out ± 6 V (1 kOhm output impedance) |
power | 5 V output (max. 150 mA) |
The current is measured using a zero resistance ammeter (ZRA).
PSTrace5 for Windows
PSTrace software is shipped as standard with PalmSens and Emstat instruments. The software provides support for all techniques and device functionalities. With a smooth simple interface, showing only the applicable controls, PSTrace is suitable for all levels of user experience.
Corrosion Mode
The PSTrace5 Corrosion Mode contains functions for automated Tafel Plot of Polarization Curves instantly providing:
▪ Corrosion Potential
▪ Corrosion Current
▪ Tafel Slopes
▪ Corrosion Rate

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) allows observing:
▪ Changes on Surface Properties
▪ Pitting Corrosion
▪ Water uptake of a coating
▪ Estimation of Delamination Area
▪ Estimation of Time to Failure

This Kit will provide you a standard corrosion cell with a sample holder for metal coupons (up to 15 mm diameter) exposing 1 cm diameter round area to the solution as well as the equipment for the Stern-Makrides arrangement. This cell is suitable for many common corrosion related measurements. The Corrosion Cell Set is made by ItalSens and contains:
• 1 x 1 L glass vessel
• 2 x graphite counter electrode with holder
• 1 x saturated calomel electrode with salt bridge
• 1 x sample holder for flat coupons
• 2 x platinum counter electrodes
• 1 x parts for the Stern-Makrides arrangement
• spare O-rings and Teflon parts
Accessories
If you are looking for more options to gain the maximum efficiency out of your EmStat3+ Blue, the following accessories are interesting for you:
If you are just starting starting with electrochemistry or you have experience in electrochemistry but not in corrosion research, this handbook will provide some essential knowledge to you, which will enable you to perform first measurements and to dive deeper into corrosion literature, if necessary, equipped with the right terminology and a grasp of the principles.
The tutorials in this more than 40 pages document want to explain some basic knowledge of corrosion research with a focus on Linear Polarization Curves and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy EIS. Furthermore it should afterwards be possible to have a general idea of what can be read from the Tafel plot and the EIS spectrum. Some typical shapes of curves and spectra will be shown, to develop some feeling for possible phenomena and indicators.
Parts of the handbook can be found in the Tutorials section.