An important application of Z-HIT is the examination of experimental impedance spectra for artifacts. The examination of EIS series measurements is often difficult due to the tendency of examined objects to undergo changes during the measurement. This may occur in many standard EIS applications such as the evaluation of  fuel cells or  batteries during discharge. Further examples include the investigation of light-sensitive systems under illumination (e.g. Photoelectrochemistry) or the analysis of water uptake of lacquers on metal surfaces (e.g. corrosion-protection).
A descriptive example for an unsteady system is a Lithium-ion battery. Under cyclization or discharging, the amount of charge in the battery changes over time. The change in charge is coupled with a chemical redox reaction, transferring to a change in concentrations of the involved substances. This violates the principles of stationarity and causality which are prerequisites for proper EIS measurements. In theory, this would exclude drift-affected samples from valid evaluation. Using the ZHIT-algorithm, these and similar artifacts can be recognized and spectra following causality can even be reconstructed, which are consistent with the Kramers–Kronig relations and thereby valid for analysis.