Tunable Optical Sensing with PVC-Membrane-Based Ion-Selective Bipolar Electrodes

Carbon fiber-based multichannel solid-contact potentiometric ion sensors for real-time sweat electrolyte monitoring

Solid-contact ion-selective electrodes (SC-ISEs) feature miniaturization and integration that have gained extensive attention in non-invasive wearable sweat electrolyte sensors. The state-of-the-art wearable SC-ISEs mainly use polyethylene terephthalate, gold and carbon nanotube fibers as flexible substrates but suffer from uncomfortableness, high cost and biotoxicity. Herein, we report carbon fiber-based SC-ISEs to construct a four-channel wearable potentiometric sensor for sweat electrolytes monitoring (Na+/K+/pH/Cl-). The carbon fibers were extracted from commercial cloth, of which the starting point is addressing the cost and reproducibility issues for flexible SC-ISEs. The bare carbon fiber electrodes exhibited reversible voltammetric and stable impedance performances. Further fabricated SC-ISEs based on corresponding ion-selective membranes disclosed Nernstian sensitivity and anti-interface ability toward both ions and organic species in sweat. Significantly, these carbon fiber-based SC-ISEs revealed high reproducibility of standard potentials between normal and bending states. Finally, a textile-based sensor was integrated with a solid-contact reference electrode, which realized on-body sweat electrolytes analysis. The results displayed high accuracy compared with ex-situ tests by ion chromatography. This work highlights carbon fiber-based multichannel wearable potentiometric ion sensors with low cost, biocompatibility and reproducibility.

Distance-Based Self-Powered Signal Transduction of Ion-Selective Electrodes to an Electronic Paper Display Array

In this article, we report on the first distance-based readout self-powered potentiometric sensor. The approach is considered more user-friendly for detection by the naked eye and is less prone to optical interferences compared with a direct observation of the pixel darkening. pH-selective electrodes were chosen as a model system to demonstrate the principle in which seven bar-shaped pixels connected in series on one e-paper share one common ground. By connecting each of the pixels serially to capacitors of different capacitances, the fraction of the measurement cell voltage loaded onto the pixels becomes controllable. Consequently, the pixels give different gray values when powered by the same ion-selective electrode (ISE). As a result, the pH information on the sample is visualized as a distance-based signal and the dependence between the capacitance and 1/K (the reciprocal slope in the relationship between absorbance and pH) was constructed. In the current system, a 1 μF capacitance difference changes the value of 1/K by 4.18. With the current setup, the pH accuracy is about 0.5 when comparing the e-paper output to a color card.

Newly Developed Electrochemiluminescence Based on Bipolar Electrochemistry for Multiplex Biosensing Applications: A Consolidated Review

Recently, there has been an upsurge in the extent to which electrochemiluminescence (ECL) working in synergy with bipolar electrochemistry (BPE) is being applied in simple biosensing devices, especially in a clinical setup. The key objective of this particular write-up is to present a consolidated review of ECL-BPE, providing a three-dimensional perspective incorporating its strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and potential applications as a biosensing technique. The review encapsulates critical insights into the latest and novel developments in the field of ECL-BPE, including innovative electrode designs and newly developed, novel luminophores and co-reactants employed in ECL-BPE systems, along with challenges, such as optimization of the interelectrode distance, electrode miniaturization and electrode surface modification for enhancing sensitivity and selectivity. Moreover, this consolidated review will provide an overview of the latest, novel applications and advances made in this field with a bias toward multiplex biosensing based on the past five years of research. The studies reviewed herein, indicate that the technology is rapidly advancing at an outstanding purse and has an immense potential to revolutionize the general field of biosensing. This perspective aims to stimulate innovative ideas and inspire researchers alike to incorporate some elements of ECL-BPE into their studies, thereby steering this field into previously unexplored domains that may lead to unexpected, interesting discoveries. For instance, the application of ECL-BPE in other challenging and complex sample matrices such as hair for bioanalytical purposes is currently an unexplored area. Of great significance, a substantial fraction of the content in this review article is based on content from research articles published between the years 2018 and 2023.

Fast and sensitive coulometric signal transduction for ion-selective electrodes by utilizing a two-compartment cell

Here, we propose a fast and sensitive coulometric signal transduction method for ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) by utilizing a two-compartment cell. A potassium ion-selective electrode (K⁺-ISE) was connected as reference electrode (RE) and placed in the sample compartment. A glassy carbon (GC) electrode coated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (GC/PEDOT), or reduced graphene oxide (GC/RGO), was connected as working electrode (WE) and placed in the detection compartment together with a counter electrode (CE). The two compartments were connected with an Ag/AgCl wire. The measured cumulated charge was amplified by increasing the capacitance of the WE. The observed slope of the cumulated charge with respect to the change of the logarithm of the K⁺ ion activity was linearly proportional to the capacitance of the GC/PEDOT and GC/RGO, estimated from impedance spectra. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the coulometric signal transduction using a commercial K⁺-ISE with internal filling solution as RE and GC/RGO as WE allowed to decrease the response time while still being able to detect a 0.2% change in K⁺ concentration. The coulometric method utilizing a two-compartment cell was found to be feasible for the determination of K⁺ concentrations in serum. The advantage of this two-compartment approach, compared to the coulometric transduction described earlier, was that no current passed through the K⁺-ISE that was connected as RE. Therefore, current-induced polarization of the K⁺-ISE was avoided. Furthermore, since the GCE/PEDOT and GCE/RGO (used as WE) had a low impedance, the response time of the coulometric response decreased from minutes to seconds.

Self-Powered Signal Transduction of Ion-Selective Electrodes to an Electronic Paper Display

Mobile integrated electrochemical sensors normally require a power supply for operation. Unfortunately, the practice of discarding batteries associated with these devices runs counter to our desire for a sustainable world. Self-powered sensing concepts that draw the energy directly from the measurement itself would overcome this limitation. Potentiometric sensors for the measurement of pH, many electrolytes, and gases are ubiquitous in analytical practice. However, in potentiometry, the voltage is acquired in the absence of current flow, making it seemingly impossible to draw power. Fortunately, it has been recently established that transient currents may be tolerated across potentiometric measurement cells to charge a capacitive or electrochromic element such as Prussian blue integrated in the measurement cell and whose absorbance then directly follows the potential changes in a reversible manner. We have shown here that commercial electronic paper (e-paper), widely used to make electronic ink and ebook readers, can directly be driven by a potentiometric measurement cell in a reversible manner at mild potentials of >100 mV typical for such sensors. The capacitance of the e-paper pixel studied here was found to be 0.53 μF mm^-2, 30 times smaller than that of Prussian blue films. The colorimetric absorbance of the e-paper was also more stable (observed drift over 2 h corresponding to 0.76 mV h^-1) and reproducible (corresponding to 1 mV standard deviation). The e-paper pixel was directly driven by a polymeric pH electrode as a model system. Choosing a basic inner solution (pH 12.9) behind the membrane gave sufficiently positive cell potentials for driving visible absorbance change in a sample pH range of 4-10, while a more acidic pH of 3.4 and alternating the connections to the e-paper were more suited for more basic samples of pH > 10. This convenient and cost-effective approach makes it possible to directly drive an optical display from the potentiometric measurement itself and should be suitable for moderate sensing membrane resistances of less than about 100 kΩ, depending on the area of the chosen pixel.

Direct Energy Transfer from a pH Glass Electrode to a Liquid Crystal Display

Self-powered sensors are attractive because the lack of a dedicated battery makes them environmentally friendly and allows them to be more easily miniaturized. Unfortunately, the development of self-powered potentiometric sensors is challenging because only very limited energy can be harvested from this measurement principle. For the first time, the potential of a high impedance glass pH electrode (130 M Ω) is shown here to be directly read out optically. This is accomplished by a liquid crystal display (LCD) as the electrochromic transducer, which changes its transmission upon imposing an external voltage in the range of 2-3 V. Importantly, owing to its low capacitance of about 50 pF, this process requires a very small transient charge on the order of 100 pC, which may be spontaneously imposable even across pH glass electrodes. For the LCD to be turned on, the cell voltage is boosted by additional Zn²⁺/Zn elements placed in series. The LCD is found to give a time-dependent absorbance decrease, which is mitigated by adding a high resistance element to attenuate the associated decay. The approach gives repeatable LCD absorbance values that allows one to directly visualize pH with a precision of about 0.01 pH units. The absorbance value depends inversely on pH in a much wider range (pH 1-13) than what is normally observed with optical sensors while based on the same underlying measurement as a potentiometric pH probe.

Self-Powered Electrochromic Readout of Potentiometric pH Electrodes

An absorbance-based colorimetric sensor array that is self-powered by an ion-selective electrode (ISE) in a short-circuited cell is presented. As the cell voltage is maintained at zero, the potential at the ISE serves as the power generator to directly transfer its power to a potential-dependent Prussian blue (PB) film in contact with an electrolyte solution in a separate detection compartment. This allows one to activate the color change of the PB film without the need for an external power supply. The potential of the PB detection element is optimized to change color between 50 and 250 mV (vs Ag/AgCl). Because the potential originates at the ISE, it is proportional to the ion activity in the sample in agreement with the Nernst equation. In this way, a higher cation activity in the sample generates a more positive potential, which enhances the PB absorbance that serves as the analytical signal. A self-powered optical sensor array coupled to poly(vinyl-chloride)-based pH electrodes based on two different ionophores is utilized here as a model. The measuring range is tuned chemically by varying the pH of the inner filling solution of each ISE, giving a measuring range from pH 2 to 10.5. As the optical sensor is driven by a potentiometric probe, the sensor output is independent of solution ionic strength. It is successfully applied for quantitative analysis in unmodified turbid/colored samples that included red wine, coke, coffee, baking soda, and antacid. The colorimetric output correlates well with the reference method, a calibrated pH electrode. Compared to earlier systems where the cell potential is dictated by an external power source, the PB film exhibits excellent reproducibility and a rapid response time of about 44 s.

Self-Powered Potentiometric Sensor Transduction to a Capacitive Electronic Component for Later Readout

Potentiometric sensors operate as galvanic cells where the voltage is spontaneously generated as a function of the sample composition. We show here that energy can be harvested, stored during the sensing process without external power, and physically isolated from the sensor circuit for later readout. This is accomplished by placing an electronic capacitor as a portable transduction component between the indicator and the reference electrode at the point where one would ordinarily connect the high-input-impedance voltmeter. The voltage across this isolated capacitor indicates the originally measured ion activity and can be read out conveniently, for example, using a simple handheld multimeter. The capacitor is shown to maintain the transferred charge for hours after its complete disconnection from the sensor. The concept is demonstrated to detect the physiological concentrations of K⁺ in artificial sweat samples. The methodology provides a readout principle that could become very useful in portable form factors and opens possibilities for potentiometric detection in point-of-care applications and inexpensive sensing devices where an external power source is not desired.

Optical Sensing with a Potentiometric Sensing Array by Prussian Blue Film Integrated Closed Bipolar Electrodes

The simultaneous optical readout of a potentiometric sensor array of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) based on PVC membranes is described here for the first time. The optical array consists of electrochromic Prussian Blue (PB) films in multiple closed ion-selective bipolar electrodes (BPEs), which gives a physical separation between the optical detection and sample compartments. The potential-dependent turnover of PB generates Prussian White (PW). A near-Nernstian response of the PB film is confirmed by colorimetric absorbance experiments as a function of applied potential. In the combined bipolar electrode cell, the overall potential is kept constant with a single potentiostat over the entire array where each PB spot indicates the potential change of an individual connected potentiometric probe. For cation-selective electrodes, the absorbance or blue intensity of the connected PB film is enhanced with increasing target cation activity. The colorimetric absorbance changes are simultaneously followed by a digital camera and analyzed by Mathematica software. A multiple cation-BPE array allows one to achieve simultaneous quantitative analysis of potassium, sodium, and calcium ions, demonstrated here in highly colored fruit juices. Mass transport at the PB thin film is shown not to be rate-limiting. The measuring ranges can be tuned in a wide range by potential control. The PB film exhibits greatly improved reproducibility and stability as compared to previous work with a ferroin redox probe confined in a thin solution layer.

Recent advances in solid-contact ion-selective electrodes: functional materials, transduction mechanisms, and development trends

This article presents a comprehensive overview of recent progress in the design and applications of solid-contact ion-selective electrodes (SC-ISEs).