Model 1287A Potentiostat/Galvanostat

The mode 1287 Electrochemical Interface is a high accuracy, wide bandwidth potentiostat/galvanostat which offers a full range of AC/DC test capabilities; when coupled with one of our frequency response analyzers it delivers outstanding AC impedance capabilities.

Measurement Integrity
Central to the measurement capability of the 1287 are two high resolution digital voltmeters which provide simultaneous voltage and current measurements. Using Solartron Analytical’s patented pulse width conversion technique, they have high accuracy, stability and linearity throughout the entire range of the instrument. The 1287 has excellent measurement resolution and accuracy down to 1 µV for the reference electrodes and 1pA for the working electrode, which makes it an ideal choice for electrochemical noise applications or measurements where signal levels are extremely low. The 1287 uses floating measurements on all connections: it is equally at home measuring corrosion rates on grounded oil pipelines as it is in the laboratory. For safety reasons, it is often necessary to ground laboratory equipment such as autoclaves, a major problem if the instrument is not capable of floating measurements. The 1287 offers complete flexibility for cell connection: 2-, 3- or 4-terminal measurements can be made with equal ease.

• 2-terminal techniques for general materials/electrochemical testing
• 3-terminal techniques for corrosion/coating applications
• 4-terminal techniques for accurate characterization of batteries/fuel cells, enabling lead resistance and impedance effects to be minimized

Impedance
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is widely used to enhance the information about reaction mechanisms available from DC techniques. Designed with impedance testing very much in mind, the1287’s performance is unsurpassed; no other electrochemical interface matches the flatness and linearity of its frequency response. Solartron Analytical FRAs use a single sine correlation algorithm which offers excellent noise and harmonic rejection. The technique is particularly powerful for electrochemical applications since signal levels are usually very low (of the order of millivolts), and are inevitably buried in noise. With the1287/1260 combination it is possible to characterize cells with a very wide range of impedances. When making high frequency impedance measurements, Solartron Analytical’s driven shield technology minimizes the unwanted effects of cable impedance enabling the 1287 to be used over a full 10 µHz to 1 MHz frequency range. The 1287 was designed to carry out both DC tests and AC impedance tests: an externally generated waveform from a frequency response analyzer or spectrum analyzer can be added to the polarization signal.

Electrochemistry Software
The CorrWare and ZPlot packages are specifically designed to run a wide range of electrochemical tests using the 1287A including:

• Impedance
• Potentiostatic/galvanostatic techniques
• Cyclic voltammetry
• Electrochemical noise

CorrWare and ZPlot are an ideal tools for corrosion analysis, battery/fuel cell research, and general electrochemistry. The software provides real-time analysis, multiple display formats and curve fitting routines.

Impedance Contour Plot
Limits of error (for a unity gain cell Z_c=R_s, measured with LO grounded) and no error due to reference electrode bandwidth. RE1and RE2 input capacitance must be corrected to obtain accuracy at high frequency and impedance.

Specifications