The removal of the polarization errors in low frequency dielectric spectroscopy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, robust method to eliminate electrode polarization errors in low frequency dielectric spectroscopy, enabling accurate measurement of electrolyte and cell suspension properties without assuming specific polarization impedance behavior.

Contribution

A novel method for removing polarization errors in dielectric spectroscopy that does not rely on specific impedance models, applicable across various electrolytes and suspensions.

Findings

Effective removal of polarization errors demonstrated

Polarization impedance behavior characterized under different conditions

Method applicable to both weak and strong ionic electrolytes

Abstract

Electrode polarization error is the biggest problem when measuring the low frequency dielectric properties of electrolytes or suspensions of particles, including cells, in electrolytes. We present a simple and robust method to remove the polarization error, which we demonstrate to work on weak and strong ionic electrolytes as well as on cell suspensions. The method assumes no particular behavior of the electrode polarization impedance; it makes use of the fact that the effect dies out with frequency. The method allows for direct measurement of the polarization impedance, whose behavior with the applied voltages, electrode distance and ionic concentration is investigated.