Four-electrode impedance spectrometer for investigation of solid ion conductors

An impedance spectrometer capable of accurately measuring solid ion conducting sample impedance spectra by two- or four-electrode methods in either time or frequency domain has been built. The four-electrode measurement mode is implemented by constructing a differential amplifier with a very high input impedance and common mode rejection ratio over a wide frequency range. All of the measurements can be performed in frequencies ranging from 10 Hz to 2 MHz and sample temperatures up to 800 K. The working principle of the spectrometer as well as its technical parameters and accuracy estimation are presented in this paper. The advantage of four-electrode over two-electrode measurement mode is shown by an example of Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 solid electrolyte ceramic impedance measurements. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4774391]