Visual Guide to Major Pitfalls in Voltammetry: Recognition, Interpretation, and Practical Solutions

Voltammetry is among the most versatile electroanalytical techniques owing to its simplicity, relatively low instrumental cost, rapid data acquisition, and exceptional capability to provide qualitative and quantitative information on electrochemical systems. During the past 50 years, it has become an indispensable tool in biochemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, environmental chemistry, corrosion science, battery research, nanotechnology, enzymatic electrochemistry, biosensor development, green energy conversion, and biomedical materials research. Beyond analytical applications, voltammetry provides valuable mechanistic insight into electron-transfer processes, reaction kinetics, thermodynamic properties, adsorption phenomena, catalytic activity, molecular stability, chemical reactivity, and coupled homogeneous reactions. Despite its apparent experimental simplicity, reliable interpretation of voltammetric responses requires both a sound understanding of electrochemical theory and careful control of numerous experimental variables. Many common experimental artifacts produce voltammetric signatures that closely resemble genuine electrochemical phenomena and may therefore lead to incorrect mechanistic or analytical conclusions. This educational review presents a comprehensive visual overview of the major pitfalls encountered in voltammetric experiments, including working and reference electrode problems, electrode memory effects, ohmic drop, insufficient supporting electrolyte, dissolved oxygen interference, convection, adsorption, crystallization, temperature and pH effects, capacitive currents, instrumental noise, baseline drifts, peak overlap, bubble formation, and poor repeatability. For each phenomenon, characteristic voltammetric signatures, underlying physicochemical origins, methods of recognition are presented. The visual guide provided here is intended to facilitate more reliable experimental practice and to improve interpretation of voltammetric experiment.