IS-EC-AP In-Situ Electrochemical Cell

The electrochemical cell IS-EC-AP is a versatile cell that allows for a wide variety of experiments. It enables electrochemical preparation of samples under inert gas atmospheres at ambient pressure and susequent transfer to adjacent UHV system via a buffer chamber. The cell itself is a 6-way cross made from glas with KF flanges. The sample is transferred is realized horizontally by a transfer rod into and out of the stainless steel buffer chamber coupled via a gate valve.

On the top (port 3) there is a 4-way port made from Teflon, connected to a tube for laminar inert gas flow (gas in), a connection to a dosimat for washing the sample surface, a tube with a nozzle to blow-off liquids from the surface and a spare port. At the bottom there is a two-way outlet made from Teflon, one for the laminar inert gas flow (gas out), connected via a tube to a washing bottle and a funnel-type sink with a valve connected via another tube to a waste bottle. The electrochemical insert consists of two Teflon parts, the electrolyte reservoir and the sample stage, that are connected to the other two horizontal ports.They are clamped together with the sample inside, connecting and sealing the liquid reservoir, that also contains the counter and reference electrode to the sample surface.

Once the experiment is finished, the electrolyte reservoir can be emptied and the cell can be released from the sample stage. The free access to the sample surface allows now for cleaning and drying of the sample surface and back transfer from inert gas to vacuum without any contact with moisture or air for further analysis. After analysis the sample can be transferred back into the cell for the next electrochemical reaction step.