The common characteristic of all voltammetric techniques is that they involve the application of a
potential (E) to an electrode and the monitoring of the resulting current (i) flowing through the electrochemical
cell. In many cases the applied potential is varied or the current is monitored over a period of
time (t). Thus, all voltammetric techniques can be described as some function of E, i, and t. They are
considered active techniques (as opposed to passive techniques such as potentiometry) because the applied
potential forces a change in the concentration of an electroactive species at the electrode surface
by electrochemically reducing or oxidizing it