Impedance spectroscopy is a popular electrochemical measurement technique, but successful implementation requires specialized training that is not easily available. At the 2013 ISE annual meeting in Querétaro, we described our philosophy for teaching electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, embodied in our textbook on the subject, published in 2008 [1]. At the 2017 ISE annual meeting in Providence, we updated our discussion, with emphasis on the second edition of our book [2]. The object of this presentation is to describe our current approach to the subject, reflected in our textbooks on the subject and in our new project, to which we have assigned the working title of The EIS Companion: A Compendium of Solved Problems and Resources.

This communication will describe an approach towards teaching impedance spectroscopy in which students are encouraged to modify experimental parameters in accordance with the experimental system, to use a variety of graphical representations to develop preliminary estimates for physical properties, to develop models from proposed chemical, electrochemical, and physical mechanisms, and to perform regression analyses which account for the error structure of the measurement. As impedance spectroscopy is not a “stand-alone” technique, students are encouraged to seek independent observations that can be used to support or disprove the models developed.

This approach will be illustrated by a step-by-step analysis of a sample data set, including preliminary graphical inspection of the data, evaluation of consistency with the Kramers-Kronig relations, development of an interpretation or process model, regression of the model to the Kramers-Kronig-consistent portion of the spectrum, and evaluation of the physical meaning of the parameters extracted.

1. M.E. Orazem, B. Tribollet, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2008.
2. M.E. Orazem, B. Tribollet, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, 2^nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2017.