Visions of the electrochemical future, past and present: Plus ca change?

Electrochemistry is the branch of chemistry that studies the relationship between electrical quantities and chemical reactions, particularly oxidation and reduction. Oxidation is the loss of electrons from a substance, whereas reduction refers to the gain of electrons. A substance with a strong electron affinity is called an oxidizing agent (oxidant), and a reducing agent (reductant) is a species that donates electrons. Oxidation and reduction processes are pivotal to electrochemical reactions,...

 Electrochemical measurements are conducted in an electrochemical cell composed of various components that control and measure the current and potential. One fundamental component is electrodes, conductive materials that enable electron transfer reactions at their surfaces.
There are two main types of electrodes in electrochemical cells. The first type, known as the working or indicator electrode, has a potential that is sensitive to the analyte's concentration and reacts to changes in...

Interfacial electrochemical methods focus on the phenomena occurring at the boundary between an electrode and a solution, as opposed to bulk methods that concentrate on the solution's overall properties. These interfacial methods are classified as either static or dynamic based on the presence of a nonzero current in the electrochemical cell and the consistency of analyte concentrations. Static methods, such as potentiometry, measure the cell's potential without any significant current...

Voltammograms are current plots as a function of applied potential, offering insights into electrochemical systems. The shape of a voltammogram depends on how the current is measured and whether convection (heat transfer by fluid movement) is present or absent.
Shapes of Voltammograms

An electrochemical gradient is a fundamental concept in biology and chemistry. It regulates the movement of ions across cell membranes. This movement is influenced by two factors:
The electrical gradient: The electrical gradient across cell membranes refers to the difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a cell.  This difference drives the movement of ions towards or away from the cells. For instance, if the inside of the cell is more negatively charged relative to...

Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is considered the primary energy source in cells. However, energy can also be stored in the electrochemical gradient of an ion across the plasma membrane, which is determined by two factors: its chemical and electrical gradients.
The chemical gradient relies on differences in the abundance of a substance on the outside versus the inside of a cell and flows from areas of high to low ion concentration. In contrast, the electrical gradient revolves around an...