Various transfer functions were calculated for hydrogen permeation through a metallic membrane in a Devanathan cell. Surface processes such as hydrogen adsorption and evolution were taken into account in addition to the hydrogen penetration process and its diffusion through the bulk metal. The main transfer functions are the input impedance Delta V-1/Delta I-1 and the permeation transfer function Delta I-2/Delta I-1 between the output current and the input current from which the transconductance transfer function Delta I-2/Delta V-1 can be calculated. These quantities were obtained for potentiostatic controls of the input and/or the output sides. The effect of the changes of some characteristic kinetic parameters on these transfer functions were analyzed and their simplified expressions were derived for a few limiting cases. This gives a tool to interpret experimental data in a large set of conditions. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.