An all-solid-state screen-printed carbon paste reference electrode based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as solid contact transducer

The paper presents the design of an all-solid-state portable reference electrode based on a screen-printed carbon paste electrode suitable for rapid human serum testing. The electrode was covered by electropolymerized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) as an internal solid contact layer and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane containing lipophilic anion and cation additives. The electrochemical properties of PEDOT(PSS) and PEDOT(PSS)/PVC film on a carbon paste electrode were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry methods. The reference electrode exhibited good potential stability (for H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl− and CO2 −3/HCO−3), good reproducibility and long-term stability. The structure is applied as reference electrodes in human serum pH analysis with pH ion selective planar electrodes, forming a serum pH sensor. The response time of such a pH sensor was 15 s and the sensitivity was −52.2 ± 1.0 mV per decade. Other properties, such as repeatability, reproducibility and stability, were also evaluated. Clinical trials were carried out and compared with the results obtained from the routine hospital electrolyte analyzer, which demonstrated that their analytical performance was closely matched.