The various parameters that are typically listed in the specifications of potentiostats are explained in this Technical Note originally posted by Gamry Instruments.

There are many important factors that pertain to buying a potentiostat,  and the old adage “The more the better” really does not apply when researching the potentiostat to fit your experiment.

There are a few questions you should be asking:

1. Are you looking for a general‑purpose instrument or a high‑precision potentiostat?
2. Do you need a potentiostat for high power devices?
3. Should it be portable or is a stationary system sufficient?
4. Can it be a single potentiostat or is a multi-channel system required?

Specification sheets tell you what an instrument is capable of and help to narrow down the list of instruments suitable for your applications. Depending on what you want to do, some specifications are more relevant than others.

But ask yourself: Do you understand the meaning of the parameters listed in a spec sheet and can you order them according to priority of importance for your needs?

In this Tech Note from Gamry they try to clarify typical terms listed in the specification sheets for potentiostats. Because most of the terms correlate with specific potentiostat components, the tech note focuses on the setup and fundamental functioning of a potentiostat, the capabilities of a potentiostat, accuracy, precision and resolution.

To view the complete article and download a PDF Version, visit Gamry Application Notes Instrumentation section.