The Testing of carbon paste electrodes : an example on the characterisation of a carbon paste electrode prepared from newly used graphite powder

Abstract

In this article, the principles of physico-chemical and electrochemical characterisation of carbon paste electrodes are demonstrated on a practical example. The carbon paste electrode prepared from a commercial spectroscopic graphite powder whose properties are to be characterised has been tested in parallel with another carbon paste electrode of known composition by means of special testing procedures. These experiments comprised basic physico-chemical characterisation, polarisation studies, and voltammetric measurements with various model systems. Typical properties of the carbon paste electrode tested are discussed with respect to its applicability in electrochemistry.