Electrochemical Methods and Their Application

Abstract The chapter presents basic principles of the most common electrochemical techniques used for investigations of bilayer lipid membranes, and examples of electronic equipment: potential meters, 2-, 3-, and 4-electrode potentiostats and galvanostats. It also describes the origin of transmembrane potential in membrane systems, examples for application of potentiometry, amperometry, voltammetry, and chronopotentiometry. An important and characteristic parameter of membranes is their capacitance. Methods of capacitance measurement and their application are presented. Due to their parameters, lipid membrane systems require very high resistance, extremely low currents and high capacitance. They are sensitive to distortions and external noises. Noise-protection methods are also described in the chapter.