The EChemPen: A Guiding Hand To Learn Electrochemical Surface Modifications

Mathieu Valetaud 1 Gabriel Loget 2 Jérome Roche 3 Nina Hüsken 1 Zahra Fattah 4 Vasilica Badets 1 Olivier Fontaine 5 Dodzi Zigah 1
1 ISM - Institut des Sciences Moléculaires
2 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes
3 Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
4 University of Duhok
5 ICGM ICMMM - Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier - Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux de Montpellier
Abstract : The Electrochemical Pen (EChemPen) was developed as an attractive tool for learning electrochemistry. The fabrication, principle, and operation of the EChemPen are simple and can be easily performed by students in practical classes. It is based on a regular fountain pen principle, where the electrolytic solution is dispensed at a tip to locally modify a conductive surface by triggering a localized electrochemical reaction. Three simple model reactions were chosen to demonstrate the versatility of the EChemPen for teaching various electrochemical processes. We describe first the reversible writing/erasing of metal letters, then the electrodeposition of a black conducting polymer “ink”, and finally the colorful writings that can be generated by titanium anodization and that can be controlled by the applied potential. These entertaining and didactic experiments are adapted for teaching undergraduate students that start to study electrochemistry by means of surface modification reactions.
Keywords : Laboratory Instruction High School/Introductory Chemistry First-Year Undergraduate/General Electrochemistry Electrolytic/Galvanic Cells/Potentials Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives
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Journal articles
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INSA-GROUPE | INC-CNRS | UR1-UFR-SPM | CHIMIE | UNIV-MONTPELLIER | UNIV-RENNES | UNIV-RENNES1 | INSA-RENNES | ICG | UNIV-BORDEAUX | ISCR | SCR_MACSE | TICE

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Mathieu Valetaud, Gabriel Loget, Jérome Roche, Nina Hüsken, Zahra Fattah, et al.. The EChemPen: A Guiding Hand To Learn Electrochemical Surface Modifications. Journal of Chemical Education, American Chemical Society, Division of Chemical Education, 2015, 92 (10), pp.1700-1704. ⟨10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00149⟩. ⟨hal-01216293⟩

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