  This report presents some of the key laboratory electrochemical battery
testing methods that are used in fuel cell research. Methods such as
voltammetry, chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry, and electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy are of major importance. All the electrochemical
corrosion tests are performed through a tri-electrode polarization cell setup
containing a reference electrode, a counter electrode, and the working
electrode (metal sample of interest) in an electrolyte solution. All three
electrodes are connected to a potentiostat. Corrosion of metal occurs through
an oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction. All the above testing methods can be
performed by manipulating the current and voltage responses from the cell.
Potentiostatic experiments (voltammetry and chronoamperometry) are performed
using constant potential at the working electrode and recording the current
response while galvanostatic experiments (chronopotentiometry) and vice versa.
The measured data through all these experiments can provide very useful
information regarding reaction reversibility, diffusion coefficient, reduction
potential, rate of chemical reaction, durability, adsorption, voltage losses,
and effective resistance to the mass and charge transport offered by electrode
material.
