The goal is simple:
Demonstrate that the ASIC can correctly drive and measure real electrochemical transducers, without unnecessary complexity or bespoke development programmes.
Phase One: Electrical Stand-Ins (The Correct Starting Point)
Early validation typically replaces electrochemical sensors with:
- A precision resistor (e.g. 1 MΩ)
- A controlled voltage source
This phase is essential because it:
- Isolates the analogue front end
- Verifies DAC/ADC performance
- Confirms waveform generation and timing
- Removes chemical and surface variability
✅ This approach should always be replicated in-house before introducing real sensors.
Moving Beyond Stand-Ins
What “Real Sensor Validation” Actually Means
Once the electrical behaviour is confirmed, teams often assume they must jump straight to:
- Hormone sensors
- Enzyme-functionalised biosensors
- Application-specific chemistry
In reality, this is not required to validate ASIC-level functionality.
Instead, validation should answer a simpler question:
Can the ASIC generate correct electrochemical waveforms and measure realistic current and impedance responses?
This can be demonstrated using standard electrodes and well-characterised solutions.
Validating Cyclic Voltammetry (CV)
What CV Validation Requires
To electrochemically validate CV capability, you only need:
- A stable working electrode
- A known redox system
No analyte-specific biosensors are necessary.
Recommended Items:
Carbon working electrodes Carbon electrodes provide a robust, repeatable surface for CV experiments. 👉 Hyper-value Carbon 501 electrodes https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/products/hyper-value-501-carbon-electrode?variant=40553384411210
Redox test solution A ferri/ferrocyanide solution produces:
- Clear oxidation and reduction peaks
- Highly repeatable CV curves
👉 Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) solution https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/products/potassium-hexacyanoferrateiii-solution
Optional (but recommended): Cleaning solution Used to refresh the electrode surface and improve curve quality. 👉 Cleaning solution https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/products/cleaning-solution
What This Demonstrates
This setup validates:
- Voltage sweep accuracy
- Scan-rate control
- Peak formation and symmetry
- Current measurement stability under real electrochemical load
✅ This is sufficient to prove CV mode works as intended.
Validating Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)
A key insight:
The same electrodes and solutions used for CV can also be used for EIS.
There are no dedicated “EIS sensor kits.” EIS validation is inherently system-level.
Using the same setup, teams can validate:
- Frequency-dependent impedance magnitude
- Phase response
- Double-layer capacitance effects
- Non-ideal behaviour beyond a simple resistor model
✅ This makes EIS the natural extension of resistor-based validation.
Potentiometric Sensors: Why Substrate Choice Matters
Ceramic vs Polymer Substrates
Early electrochemical sensors were commonly built on ceramic substrates due to their stability and lab-friendly properties.
However:
- Ceramic wafers are physically small
- They limit manufacturing throughput
- They are less aligned with scalable, disposable products
Transition to Polymer (Flexible) Sensors
To enable high-volume manufacturing, modern sensor platforms increasingly use polymer-based flexible substrates, which offer:
- Larger sheet sizes
- Better scalability
- Lower cost at volume
- Compatibility with wearables and disposables
Recommended Potentiometric Sensor for Validation
For potentiometric validation aligned with scalable manufacturing, a flexible pH sensor is recommended.
👉 pH sensor on flexible material (hyper-value range) https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/products/ph-on-flexible-material
This sensor allows teams to:
- Validate potentiometric front-end performance
- Work with a manufacturable sensor format
- Avoid investing effort in legacy ceramic designs unless required
✅ It is a better representative of future commercial products.
Why Hormone Sensors Are Not Required at This Stage
Hormone sensors (e.g. cortisol, progesterone):
- Are application-specific
- Require specialised surface chemistry
- Are typically accessed through funded development programmes
For ASIC-level validation, they add complexity without improving confidence in:
- CV waveform generation
- EIS measurement accuracy
- Potentiometric input behaviour
They are best introduced after core electrochemical capability is proven.
One Setup, Multiple Measurement Modes
A common concern is whether each electrochemical mode requires separate hardware.
In practice, the same electrodes and solutions support:
- CV
- EIS
Potentiometric sensors are swapped in as needed, and only software parameters change.
This keeps validation:
- Cost-effective
- Fast
- Easy to replicate across teams
Outcome: From Validation to Deployment
Following this staged approach allows teams to:
- Replicate prior external deliverables internally
- Extend electrical stand-ins to real electrochemistry
- Confidently integrate sensors with a MAX-class evaluation kit
In this case, the validation path concluded successfully with the purchase of all remaining equipment and readiness to begin hands-on testing with real sensors.
Summary: Minimal Ordering List for ASIC Validation
This minimal, well-scoped setup is sufficient to validate CV, EIS, and potentiometric modes on a modern electrochemical ASIC—without bespoke programmes or unnecessary complexity.
Measurement ModeRecommended ItemsCVCarbon 501 electrodes + ferri/ferrocyanideEISSame electrodes & solutionPotentiometryFlexible pH sensorRepeatabilityCleaning solution (optional)
This minimal, well-scoped setup is sufficient to validate CV, EIS, and potentiometric modes on a modern electrochemical ASIC—without bespoke programmes or unnecessary complexity.