Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Cyclic voltammetry
open-in-new
<p>In <a href="/facts/Electrochemistry/C0RUWpBH">electrochemistry</a>, cyclic voltammetry (CV) is a type of <a href="/facts/Voltammetry/flMwn4RF">voltammetric</a> measurement where the <a href="/facts/Electrode_potential/LfPpMt0u">potential</a> of the <a href="/facts/Working_electrode/Cs7U7lwH">working electrode</a> is ramped linearly versus time. Unlike in <a href="/facts/Linear_sweep_voltammetry/X9q2lRTB">linear sweep voltammetry</a>, after the set potential is reached in a CV experiment, the <a href="/facts/Working_electrode/Cs7U7lwH">working electrode</a>'s potential is ramped in the opposite direction to return to the initial potential. These cycles in potential are repeated until the voltammetric trace reaches a <a href="/facts/Steady_state/qgrL4BNs">cyclic steady state</a>. The <a href="/facts/Electric_current/Dc1xdnUX">current</a> at the working electrode is plotted versus the voltage at the working electrode to yield the cyclic voltammogram (see Figure 1). Cyclic voltammetry is generally used to study the electrochemical properties of an <a href="/facts/Analyte/qWzKoY8L">analyte</a> in solution or of a molecule that is adsorbed onto the electrode. </p>