Disposable Planar Reference Electrode Based on Carbon Nanotubes and Polyacrylate Membrane

Abstract

In this technical note, we report a new all-solid-state planar reference electrode based on single-walled carbon nanotubes and photocured poly(n-butylacrylate) (poly(nBA)) membrane containing the Ag/AgCl/Cl(-) ion system. Single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized with octadecylamide (SWCNT-ODA) and deposited by drop-casting onto a disposable screen-printed electrode are an excellent all-solid-state transducer. The novel potentiometric planar reference electrode shows low potential variability (calibration slopes inferior to 2 mV/dec) for a wide range of chemical species (i.e., ions, small molecules, proteins) in a wide calibration range, redox pairs, changes in pH, and changes in ambient light. Potentiometric medium-term signal stability (-0.9 ± 0.2 mV/h) and electrochemical impedance characterization confirm the correct solid contact between the SWCNT-ODA layer and photocured poly(nBA) membrane. Overall, the materials used and the simple fabrication by screen-printing and drop-casting enable a high throughput and highly parallel and cost-effective mass manufacture of the new disposable reference electrode. Moreover, the reference electrode has a long shelf life, a characteristic that can be of special interest in decentralized and multiplexing potentiometric analysis.

Optimization of Screen Printed Reference Electrode Based on Charge Balance and Poly (Butyl Acrylate) Photocurable Mebrane

“…Poly (n-butyl acrylate) was selected as the material for the membrane because in screen printed technology, the membrane used must have a high adhesive strength on several types of substrates [1,14]. In addition, the polymer of poly (n-butyl acrylate) having the characteristics do not require plasticizers and hydrophobic.…”

A potentiometric disposable sensor strip for measuring pH in saliva

“…The most challenging applications are those that require continuous use over longer periods of time [9,11,12]. For instance, Rius-Ruiz et al [12] developed a potentiometric strip to monitor the potassium content in samples of saliva and soft drinks diluted with buffers.…”

“…The most challenging applications are those that require continuous use over longer periods of time [9,11,12]. For instance, Rius-Ruiz et al [12] developed a potentiometric strip to monitor the potassium content in samples of saliva and soft drinks diluted with buffers. Accessible body fluids such as saliva represent an interesting medium for the realization of body-sensing, as these fluids also contain important personal physiological information [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

Development of Solid-state Reference Electrode Based on Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate Immobilised on Cellulose Acetate

“…In addition, the formation of a layer of air trapped between the surface of the electrode and the membrane seriously affects the stability of reference electrode. 17 To overcome this problem, in this work, the authors used ionic polymers such as sodium polyanethol sulfonate (SPS) salt as an electrolyte in a solid-state reference electrode. Ionic polymer-based membrane contains a large number of charges that can be ionised in water and other aprotic solvents.…”