A FAST-RESPONSE, UV-VISIBLE OPTICALLY TRANSPARENT THIN-LAYER CELL FORPOTENTIAL SCAN SPECTROELECTROCHEMISTRY

We report the design of a thin-layer spectroelectrochemical cell that has been optimized for obtaining spectral data under non-steady-state electrochemical conditions. A variety of applications involving the si multaneous use of cyclic voltammetry and W-visible spectroscopy is pos sible. For example, scan rates as high as 25 mV/s have been used while still maintaining peak separations of 165 mV or less for millimolar e lectroactive species in acetonitrile. More importantly, under the same conditions, the spectral and coulometric responses correlate temporal ly. Because of flexibility in the design, the cell can be tailored for specific solution applications. Its use can be further extended to el ectropolymerization and the study of electroactive polymers.