A Nafion and PEDOT-containing composite polymer has been electropolymerized on carbon-fiber microelectrodes with the goal of creating a mechanically stable, robust, and controllable electrode coating that increases the selectivity and sensitivity of in vivo electrochemical measurements. The coating is deposited on carbon-fiber microelectrodes by applying a triangle waveform from + 1.5 V to −0.8 V and back in a dilute solution of ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and Nafion in acetonitrile. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the coating is uniform and ~100 nm thick. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) demonstrated that both sulfur and fluorine are present in the coating, indicating the incorporation of PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and Nafion. Two types of PEDOT:Nafion coated electrodes were then analyzed electrochemically. PEDOT:Nafion-coated electrodes made using 200 µM EDOT exhibit a 10–90 response time of 0.46 ± 0.09 seconds vs. 0.45 ± 0.11 seconds for an uncoated fiber in response to a 1.0 µM bolus of dopamine. The electrodes coated using a higher EDOT concentration (400 µM) are slower with a 10–90 response time of 0.84 ± 0.19 seconds, but display increased sensitivity to dopamine, at 46 ± 13 nA/µM, compared to 26 ± 6 nA/µM for the electrodes coated in 200 µM EDOT and 13 ± 2 nA/µM for an uncoated fiber. PEDOT:Nafion-coated electrodes were lowered into the nucleus accumbens of a rat, and both spontaneous and electrically evoked dopamine release were measured. In addition to improvements in sensitivity and selectivity, the coating dramatically reduces acute in vivo biofouling.

In this paper we investigate the physical and electrochemical properties of micropatterned poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):tosylate (PEDOT:tosylate) microelectrodes for neurochemical detection. PEDOT:tosylate is a promising conductive polymer electrode material for chip-based bioanalytical applications such as capillary electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, and constant potential amperometry at living cells. Band electrodes with widths down to 3 μm were fabricated on polymer substrates using UV lithographic methods. The electrodes are electrochemically stable in a range between -200 mV and 700 mV vs. Ag/AgCl and show a relatively low resistance. A wide range of transmitters is shown to oxidize readily on the electrodes. Kinetic rate constants and half wave potentials are reported. The capacitance per area was found to be high (1670 ± 130 μF cm(-2)) compared to other thin film microelectrode materials. Finally, we use constant potential amperometry to measure the release of transmitters from a group of PC 12 cells. The results show how the current response decreases for a series of stimulations with high K(+) buffer.

An inexpensive dry etch technology based on a low-pressure microwave plasma generated in a countertop microwave oven is characterized for the patterning of a conductive polymer microelectrode. The etch process is described, and the microwave-generated plasma is characterized by emission spectroscopy. The plasma is generated with an atmospheric mixture of mostly nitrogen and oxygen. A 10 μm wide band microelectrode composed of PEDOT:Tosylate, an optically transparent conductive polymer, is fabricated on a plastic substrate. Conductive polymer etch rates are approximately 280-300 nm/minute. A patterned microelectrode is characterized by atomic force microscopy. The horizontal distance of a 10-90% height of a plasma-etched 150 nm thick electrode was measured to be 360 ± 200 nm (n = 5). Electrodes are further characterized using steady-state cyclic voltammetry, and they have an electroactive area congruent with their geometric area. Finally, a complete device is assembled and used as a separation platform for biogenic amines. A microwave-etched 250 μm PEDOT:PSS electrode is employed for end-channel electrochemical detection on this microchip, where an electrophoretic separation of dopamine and catechol and a micellar electrokinetic chromatography separation of dopamine and serotonin are performed. Both mass and concentration LODs are comparable to other electrochemical detectors in an end-channel configuration. With the added advantages of easy processing, robustness, optical transparency, and low cost, we expect microwave-etched polymer films to be a viable alternative to traditional electrodes.

tosylate electrodes on plastic substrates enables new electrochemical measurements at this polymer using FSCV.

Direct electrochemical measurements of biological events are often challenging because of the low signal relative to the magnitude of the background and noise. When choosing a data processing approach, the frequency and phase content of the data must be considered. Here, we employ a zero-phase (infinite impulse response (IIR)) filter to remove the noise from the analytical signal, while preserving the phase content. In fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, the frequency content of the signal is a function of the scan rate of the applied waveform. Fourier analysis was used to develop a relationship between scan rate and the filter cutoff frequency to maximize the reduction in noise, while not altering the true nature of the analytical signal. The zero-phase filter has the same effect as traditional filters with regards to increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. Because the zero-phase filter does not introduce a change to ΔEpeak, the heterogeneous electron rate transfer constant (0.10 cm/s) for ferrocene is calculated accurately. The zero-phase filter also improves electrochemical analysis of signaling molecules that have their oxidation potential close to the switching potential. Lastly, a quantitative approach to filtering amperometric traces of exocytosis based on the rise time was developed.