The paper describes a new PC and LabVIEW software package based system forelectrochemical research. An overview of well known electrochemical methods, such aspotential measurements, galvanostatic and potentiostatic method, cyclic voltammetry andEIS is given. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been adapted for systemscontaining large capacitances. For signal generation and recording of the response ofinvestigated electrochemical cell, a measurement and control system was developed, basedon a PC P4. The rest of the hardware consists of a commercially available AD-DA converterand an external interface for analog signal processing. The interface is a result of authorsown research. The software platform for desired measurement methods is LabVIEW 8.2package, which is regarded as a high standard in the area of modern virtual instruments. Thedeveloped system was adjusted, tested and compared with commercially available systemand ORCAD simulation.

In addition to the accelerated development of standard and novel types of rechargeable batteries, for electricity storage purposes, more and more attention has recently been paid to supercapacitors as a qualitatively new type of capacitor. A large number of teams and laboratories around the world are working on the development of supercapacitors, while their ever-improving performances enable wider use. The major challenges are to improve the parameters of supercapacitors, primarily energy density and operating voltage, as well as the miniaturization, optimization, energy efficiency, economy, and environmental acceptance. This chapter provides an overview of new techniques and technologies of supercapacitors that are changing the present and future of electricity storage, with special emphasis on self-powering sensor and transmitter systems. The latest achievements in the production, modeling, and characterization of supercapacitor elements (electrode materials, electrolytes, and supporting elements) whose parameters are optimized for long-term self-supply of low power consumers (low voltage, high energy density, and low leakage current, etc.) are considered.

Reliable and resilient constructions are basic for ensuring the safety of various structures. The superalloys are used as constructive materials due to their superb mechanical properties and endurance. However, even these materials can have certain areas where the stress concentration is higher than expected, such as drilling holes, which are common in various structures that need additional enhancement. Surface laser modifications of the areas surrounding the holes drilled in Nimonic 263 sheets are done by pulsed picosecond and nanosecond Nd:YAG laser irradiations with pulse durations of 170 ps and ≤8 ns, respectively. Following the laser surface treatment, the effectiveness of the enhancement was analyzed by the microhardness test and the deformation test. The results show that the deformation and stress values are decreased by 25−40 percent, showing the improvement in the resilience to deformation. The Vickers microhardness test results indicate an improvement in the Nimonic 263 microhardness. The dimensions of the microcracks are higher for the untreated material in comparison to the laser-treated material.

Electrochemical systems with high capacities demand devices for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with ultra-low frequencies (in order of mHz), that are almost impossible to accomplish with analogue techniques, but this becomes possible by using a computer technique and accompanying digital equipment. Recently, an original software and hardware for electrochemical measurements, intended for electrochemical systems exhibiting high capacities, such as supercapacitors, has been developed. One of the included methods is EIS. In this paper, the method of calculation of circuit parameters from an EIS curve is described. The results of testing on a physical model of an electrochemical system, constructed of known elements (including a 1.6 F capacitor) in a defined arrangement, proved the validity of the system and the method.