Potentiometric ion- and bio-selective electrodes based on asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes

The potentiometric response properties of ammonium-, carbonate-, and proton-selective electrodes prepared by incorporating appropriate neutral carriers within novel asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes are reported. The membranes are formed by first casting a thin layer of cellulose triacetate without carrier, hydrolyzing one side of this film with base, and then on the other side casting a second layer of cellulose triacetate containing the membrane active components. The resulting asymmetric ion-selective membranes function equivalently, in terms of selectivity and response slopes, to non-asymmetric cellulose triacetate membranes and conventional poly(vinyl chloride)-based membranes. The hydrolyzed surface of the asymmetric membranes can be activated in aqueous solution with carbonyldiimidazole for the direct immobilization of proteins on the surface of the membranes, without loss in potentiometric ion-response. As an example, the immobilization of urease on the surfaces of ammonium- and carbonate-selective membranes yields potentiometric bio-selective urea-probes with desirable dynamic response properties.