API reference

All applicable parameters for each technique can be found here. For the inheritance hierarchy of the the techniques, see PalmSens.Core.dll. See section ‘Available techniques’ in the PSTrace manual for more information about the techniques.

Each technique is identified by a specific integer value. This integer value can be used to create a class derived from the corresponding technique, as follows:

PalmSens.Method.FromTechniqueNumber(integervalue)

The integer values are indicated in this appendix inside the brackets [_] following each technique name.

The techniques are also directly available from the PalmSens.Techniques namespace.

Please refer to the PSTrace manual for explanations and expected values for each parameter.

Common properties

Property Description Type

Technique

The technique number used in the firmware

System.Int

Notes

Some user notes for use with this method

System.String

StandbyPotential

Standby Potential (for use with cell on after measurement)

System.Float

StandbyTime

Standby time (for use with cell on after measurement)

System.Float

CellOnAfterMeasurement

Enable/disable cell after measurement

System.Boolean

MinPeakHeight

Determines the minimum peak height in µA. Peaks lower than this value are neglected.

System.Float

MinPeakWidth

The minimum peak width, in the unit of the curves X axis. Peaks narrower than this value are neglected.

System.Float

SmoothLevel

The smoothlevel to be used. -1 = none, 0 = no smooth (spike rejection only), 1 = 5 points, 2 = 9 points, 3 = 15 points, 4 = 25 points

System.Int

Ranging

Ranging information, settings defining the minimum/maximum/starting current range

PalmSens.Method.Ranging

PowerFreq

Adjusts sampling on instrument to account for mains frequency. It accepts two values: 50 for 50Hz 60 for 60Hz

System.Int

Pretreatment settings

The following properties specify the measurements pretreatment settings:

Property Description Type

ConditioningPotential

Conditioning potential in Volt

System.Float

ConditioningTime

Conditioning duration in seconds

System.Float

DepositionPotential

Deposition potential in volt

System.Float

DepositionTime

Deposition duration in seconds

System.Float

EquilibrationTime

Equilibration duration in seconds. BeginPotential is applied during equilibration and the device switches to the appropriate current range

System.Float

Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) [0]

Class: Palmsens.Techniques.LinearSweep

Property Description Type

BeginPotential

Potential where scan starts.

System.Float

EndPotential

Potential where measurement stops.

System.Float

StepPotential

Step potential

System.Float

Scanrate

The applied scan rate. The applicable range depends on the value of E step since the data acquisition rate is limited by the connected instrument.

System.Float

Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) [1]

Class: Palmsens.Techniques.DifferentialPulse

Property Description Type

BeginPotential

Potential where scan starts.

System.Float

EndPotential

Potential where measurement stops.

System.Float

StepPotential

Step potential

System.Float

Scanrate

The applied scan rate. The applicable range depends on the value of E step since the data acquisition rate is limited by the connected instrument.

System.Float

PulsePotential

Pulse potential

System.Float

PulseTime

The pulse time

System.Float

Square Wave Voltammetry (SWV) [2]

Class: Palmsens.Techniques.SquareWave

Property Description Type

BeginPotential

Potential where scan starts.

System.Float

EndPotential

Potential where measurement stops.

System.Float

StepPotential

Step potential

System.Float

PulseAmplitude

Amplitude of square wave pulse. Values are half peak-to-peak.

System.Float

Frequency

The frequency of the square wave

System.Float

Normal Pulse Voltammetry (NPV) [3]

Class: Palmsens.Techniques.NormalPulse

Property Description Type

BeginPotential

Potential where scan starts.

System.Float

EndPotential

Potential where measurement stops.

System.Float

StepPotential

Step potential

System.Float

Scanrate

The applied scan rate. The applicable range depends on the value of E step since the data acquisition rate is limited by the connected instrument.

System.Float

PulseTime

The pulse time

System.Float

AC Voltammetry (ACV) [4]

Class: Palmsens.Techniques.ACVoltammetry

Property Description Type

BeginPotential

Potential where scan starts.

System.Float

EndPotential

Potential where measurement stops.

System.Float

StepPotential

Step potential

System.Float

SineWaveAmplitude

Amplitude of sine wave. Values are RMS

System.Float

Frequency

The frequency of the AC signal

System.Float

Cyclic Voltammetry (CV)|contextid=306 [5]

Class: Palmsens.Techniques.CyclicVoltammetry

Property Description Type

BeginPotential

Potential where scan starts and stops.

System.Float

Vtx1Potential

First potential where direction reverses.

System.Float

Vtx2Potential

Second potential where direction reverses.

System.Float

StepPotential

Step potential

System.Float

Scanrate

The applied scan rate. The applicable range depends on the value of E step since the data acquisition rate is limited by the connected instrument.

System.Float

nScans

The number of repetitions for this scan

System.Float

Fast Cyclic Voltammetry Scans

Class: Palmsens.Techniques.FastCyclicVoltammetry

Outdated class. PalmSens 3 and 4 only. For CV’s with sampling over 5000 data points per second, use the regular Palmsens.Techniques.CyclicVoltammetry() constructor instead.

Chronopotentiometric Stripping (SCP) [6]

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.ChronoPotStripping

Property Description Type

EndPotential

Potential where measurement stops.

System.Float

MeasurementTime

The maximum measurement time. This value should always exceed the required measurement time. It only limits the time of the measurement. When the potential response is erroneously and E end is not found within this time, the measurement is aborted.

System.Float

AppliedCurrentRange

The applied current range

PalmSens.CurrentRange

Istrip

If specified as 0, the method is called chemical stripping otherwise it is constant current stripping. The current is expressed in the applied current range.

System.Float

Chronoamperometry (CA) [7]

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.AmperometricDetection

Property Description Type

Potential

Potential during measurement.

System.Float

IntervalTime

Time between two current samples.

System.Float

RunTime

Total run time of scan.

System.Float

Pulsed Amperometric Detection (PAD) [8]

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.PulsedAmpDetection

Property Description Type

Potential

The dc or base potential.

System.Float

PulsePotentialAD

Potential in pulse. Note that this value is not relative to dc/base potential, given above.

System.Float

PulseTime

The pulse time.

System.Float

tMode

DC: I(dc) measurement is performed at potential E, pulse: I(pulse) measurement is performed at potential E pulse, differential: I(dif) measurement is I(pulse) - I(dc)

PalmSens.Techniques.PulsedAmpDetection.enumMode

IntervalTime

Time between two current samples.

System.Float

RunTime

Total run time of scan.

System.Float

Fast Amperometry (FAM) [9]

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.FastAmperometry

Property Description Type

EqPotentialFA

Equilibration potential at which the measurement starts

System.Float

Potential

Potential during measurement

System.Float

IntervalTimeF

Time between two current samples

System.Float

RunTime

Total run time of scan

System.Float

Chronopotentiometry (CP) [10]

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.Potentiometry

Property Description Type

Current

The current to apply. The unit of the value is the applied current range. So if 10 uA is the applied current range and 1.5 is given as value, the applied current will be 15 uA.

System.Float

AppliedCurrentRange

The applied current range.

PalmSens.CurrentRange

RunTime

Total run time of scan.

System.Float

IntervalTime

Time between two potential samples.

System.Float

Open Circuit Potentiometry (OCP)

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.OpenCircuitPotentiometry

The same as setting the Current to 0.

Property Description Type

RunTime

Total run time of scan.

System.Float

IntervalTime

Time between two potential samples.

System.Float

Multiple Pulse Amperometry (MPAD) [11]

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.MultiplePulseAmperometry

Property Description Type

E1

First potential level in which the current is recorded

System.Float

E2

Second applied potential level

System.Float

E3

Third applied potential level

System.Float

t1

The duration of the first applied potential

System.Float

t2

The duration of the second applied potential

System.Float

t3

The duration of the third applied potential

System.Float

RunTime

Total run time of scan.

System.Float

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)

Class: PalmSens.Techniques.ImpedimetricMethod

The most common properties are described first. These are used for a typical EIS measurement, a scan over a specified range of frequencies (i.e. using the default properties ScanType = ImpedimetricMethod.

enumScanType.FixedPotential and FreqType = ImpedimetricMethod.enumFrequencyType.Scan). The additional properties used for a TimeScan and a PotentialScan are detailed separately in next sections.

Property Description Type

ScanType

Scan type specifies whether a single or multiple frequency scans are performed. When set to FixedPotential a single scan will be performed, this is the recommended setting. The TimeScan and PotentialScan are not fully supported in the SDK, we highly recommend you to implement yourself. A TimeScan performs repeated scans at a given time interval within a specified time range. A PotentialScan performs scans where the DC Potential of the applied sine is incremented within a specified range. A PotentialScan should not be performed versus the OCP.

ImpedimetricMethod.enumScanType

Potential

The DC potential of the applied sine

System.Float

Eac

The amplitude of the applied sine in RMS (Root Mean Square)

System.Float

FreqType

Frequency type specifies whether to perform a scan on a range of frequencies or to measure a single frequency. The latter option can be used in combination with a TimeScan or a Potential Scan.

ImpedimetricMethod.enumFrequencyType

MaxFrequency

The highest frequency in the scan, also the frequency at which the measurement is started

System.Float

MinFrequency

The lowest frequency in the scan

System.Float

nFrequencies

The number of frequencies included in the scan

System.Int

SamplingTime

Each measurement point of the impedance spectrum is performed during the period specified by SamplingTime. This means that the number of measured sine waves is equal to SamplingTime * frequency. If this value is less than 1 sine wave, the sampling is extended to 1 / frequency. So for a measurement at a frequency, at least one complete sine wave is measured. Reasonable values for the sampling are in the range of 0.1 to 1 s.

System.Float

MaxEqTime

The impedance measurement requires a stationary state. This means that before the actual measurement starts, the sine wave is applied during MaxEqTime only to reach the stationary state. The maximum number of equilibration sine waves is however 5. The minimum number of equilibration sines is set to 1, but for very low frequencies, this time is limited by MaxEqTime. The maximum time to wait for stationary state is determined by the value of this parameter. A reasonable value might be 5 seconds. In this case this parameter is only relevant when the lowest frequency is less than 1/5 s so 0.2 Hz.

System.Float

Time Scan

In a Time Scan impedance spectroscopy measurements are repeated for a specific amount of time at a specific interval. The SDK does not support this feature fully, we recommend you to design your own implementation for this that suits your demands.

Property Description Type

RunTime

RunTime is not the total time of the measurement, but the time in which a measurement iteration can be started. If a frequency scan takes 18 seconds and is measured at an interval of 19 seconds for a RunTime of 40 seconds three iterations will be performed.

System.Float

IntervalTime

IntervalTime specifies the interval at which a measurement iteration sh ould be performed, however if a measurement iteration takes longer than the interval time the next measurement will not be triggered until after it has been completed.

System.Float

Potential Scan

In a Potential Scan impedance spectroscopy measurements are repeated over a range of DC potential values. The SDK does not support this feature fully, we recommend you to design your own implementation for this that suits your demands.

Property Description Type

BeginPotential

The DC potential of the applied sine wave to start the series of iterative measurements at.

System.Float

EndPotential

The DC potential of the applied sine wave at which the series of iterative measurements ends.

System.Float

StepPotential

The size of DC potential step to iterate with.

System.Float

Recording extra values (BiPot, Aux, CE Potential…)

The PalmSens.Method.ExtraValueMsk property allows you to record an additional value during your measurement. Not all techniques support recording extra values, the SupportsAuxInput and SupportsBipot properties are used to indicate whether a technique supports the recording of these values. The default value for PalmSens.Method.ExtraValueMsk is PalmSens.ExtraValueMask.None.

  • None, no extra value recorded (default)

  • Current

  • Potential

  • WE2, record BiPot readings (The behavior of the second working electrode is defined with the method’s BipotModePS property. EnumPalmSensBipotMode.Constant sets it to a fixed potential and EnumPalmSensBipotMode.Offset sets it to an offset of the primary working electrode. The value in Volt of the fixed or offset potential is defined with the method’s BiPotPotential property.)

  • AuxInput, similar to PSTrace it is possible to configure the readings of the auxilliary input. Using the PalmSens.AuxInput.AuxiliaryInput class you can assign a name, offset, gain and unit to the auxilliary input. The following example demonstrates how to set up the Pt1000 temperature sensor from PSTrace.

Change auxilary input

psCommSimpleWinForms.comm.AuxInputSelected = new PalmSens.AuxInput.AuxiliaryInputType(
    true, "Pt1000", "Temperature sensor", -275f, 189.1f, new PalmSens.Units.Temperature()
);

+ The can be ignored and set to true, the second argument is the name, third is the description, fourth the offset, fifth the slope and the final argument is an instance of one of the unit classes in the PalmSens.Units namespace. * Reverse, record reverse current as used by Square Wave Voltammetry * PolyStatWE, not supported in the PalmSens SDK * DCcurrent, record the DC current as used with AC Voltammetry * CEPotential, PalmSens 4 only

The PSSDKBiPotAuxExample example project demonstrates how to record extra values.

Multiplexer

The PalmSens.Method class is also used to specify the multiplexer settings for sequential and alternating measurements. Alternating multiplexer measurements restricted to the chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry techniques.

The enumerator property PalmSens.Method.MuxMethod defines the type multiplexer measurement.

methodCA.MuxMethod = MuxMethod.None; // Default setting, no multiplexer
methodCA.MuxMethod = MuxMethod.Alternatingly;

methodCA.MuxMethod = MuxMethod.Sequentially;

// The channels on which to measure are specified in a boolean array
PalmSens.Method.UseMuxChannel: methodCA.UseMuxChannel = new bool[] {
true, true, false, false, false, false, false, true };

The code above will perform a measurement on the first two and last channels of an 8-channel multiplexer. For a 16-channel multiplexer you would also need to assign true or false to the last 8 channels.

Alternating multiplexer measurement can only measure on successive channels and must start with the first channel (i.e. it is possible to alternatingly measure on channels 1 through 4 but it is not possible to alternatingly measure on channel 1, 3 and 5). The multiplexer functionality is demonstrated in the PSSDKMultiplexerExample project.

Multiplexer settings

When using a MUX8-R2 multiplexer the multiplexer settings must be set digitally instead of via the physical switches on the earlier multiplexer models. The type of multiplexer should be specified in the connected device’s capabilities, when the multiplexer is connected before connecting to the software the capabilities are updated automatically. Otherwise, when using the MUX8-R2 the PalmSens.Devices.DeviceCapabilities.MuxType should be set to PalmSens.Comm.MuxType.Protocol manually or by calling PalmSens.Comm.CommManager.ClientConnection.ReadMuxInfo, PalmSens.Comm.CommManager.ClientConnection.ReadMuxInfoAsync when connected asynchronously.

For the MUX8-R2 the settings for a measurement are set in PalmSens.Method.MuxSett property with an instance of the PalmSens.Method.MuxSettings class. For manual control these settings can be set using the PalmSens.Comm.ClientConnection.SetMuxSettings function, PalmSens.Comm.ClientConnection.SetMuxSettingsAsync when connected asynchronously.

method.MuxSett = new Method.MuxSettings(false)

{
    CommonCERE = false,
    ConnSEWE = false,
    ConnectCERE = true,
    OCPMode = false,
    SwitchBoxOn = false,
    UnselWE = Method.MuxSettings.UnselWESetting.FLOAT
};

Versus OCP

The versus open circuit potential settings (OCP) are defined in the PalmSens.Method.OCPmode, PalmSens.Method.OCPMaxOCPTime, and PalmSens.Method.OCPStabilityCriterion properties. The OCPmode is a bitmask specifies which of the following technique dependent properties or combination thereof will be measured versus the OCP potential:

  • Linear Sweep Voltammetry:

    • BeginPotential = 1

    • EndPotential = 2

  • (Fast) Cyclic Voltammetry

    • Vtx1Potential = 1

    • Vtx2Potential = 2

    • BeginPotential = 4

  • Chronoamperometry

    • Potential = 1

  • Impedance Spectroscopy (Fixed potential and Time Scan)

    • Potential = 1

  • Impedance Spectroscopy (Potential Scan)

    • BeginPotential = 1

    • EndPotential = 2

The progress and result of the versus OCP measurement step are reported in the PalmSens.Comm.MeasureVersusOCP class, which can be obtained by subscribing to the PalmSens.Comm.CommManager.DeterminingVersusOCP event which is raised when the versus OCP measurement step is started.

// Defining versus OCP measurement step for a Cyclic Voltammetry
measurement

// Measure the (Vtx1Potential) 1 + (Vtx2Potential) 2 + (BeginPotential) 4 = 7 versus the OCP potential
_methodCV.OCPmode = 7;

// Sets the maximum time the versus OCP step can take to 10 seconds
_methodCV.OCPMaxOCPTime = 10;

// The OCP measurement will stop when the change in potential over time is less than 0.02mV/s, when set to 0 the OCP measurement step will always run for the OCPMaxOCPTime
_methodCV.OCPStabilityCriterion = 0.02f;

Properties for EmStat Pico

There are two method parameters specific to the EmStat Pico. The PalmSens.Method.PGStatMode property sets the mode in which the measurement should be run, low power, high speed or max range. This mode can be set for all techniques but Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. The second property is PalmSens.Method.SelectedPotentiostatChannel which let you choose on which channel the EmStat Pico should run the measurement.