Experimental limitations in impedance spectroscopy of cement-based materials

Impedance spectroscopy is a powerful technique for characterizing the frequency-dependent electrical behaviour of cement-based materials and interfaces, given that certain experimental limitations—machine limitations, stray imittances (e.g. from cables and leads), and electrode effects—are recognized and dealt with. The origins of these effects in impedance spectroscopy are discussed and various remediation strategies are presented, with illustrations from measurements on cement-based materials. The problems encountered and remediation strategies taken are generally applicable to impedance studies of heterogeneous, conductive materials.