A Compact and Versatile Instrument for Radio Frequency Heating in Nonisothermal Electrochemical Studies

We describe a novel instrument and electrical circuit for sensitive electrochemical measurements at simultaneous direct electrode heating. The new measuring principle can be applied to working electrodes of various designs featuring two end contacts. In our experiments, the contacts were connected to a 100 kHz AC heating power supply and the potentiostat via the new inductor bridge circuit. A compact heating‐generator housing contains all components necessary for sine wave generation as well as amplification and transformation of the heating power. The new arrangement yields high temperature cyclovoltammetric signals for the [Fe(CN)₆]^3?/4? redox system with a noise level superior to the earlier symmetrically branched wire electrode designs. Noise and disturbances are dramatically suppressed especially for high resistance electrodes such as glassy carbon electrodes. Without a center contact, the working electrode design is greatly simplified. This opens new opportunities for the design of a great variety of heated electrodes that may be arranged in arrays or consist of materials with relatively high resistivity such as carbon and conducting polymers.