Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026

In Situ Lithiated Reference Electrode: Four Electrode Design for In-operando Impedance Spectroscopy
Published on: September 12, 2018
Identification and characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus on low cost screen printed carbon electrodes using
A C Ward1, A J Hannah1, S L Kendrick1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1RD, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Staphylococcus aureus infections are a cause of significant morbidity and mortality, in addition to representing a considerable economic burden. The aim of this study was to explore a low cost screen printed electrode as a sensor for the detection of S. aureus using impedance spectroscopy. S. aureus was incubated in chambers containing the electrodes and the results analysed using a novel normalisation approach. These results show that it is possible to detect the presence of S. aureus in LB media after 30 min incubation of a 1% growth culture, in addition to being able to see immediate cell concentration dependant changes in 0.9% NaCl. These observations imply that a number of electrochemical mechanisms cause a change in the impedance as a result of the presence of S. aureus, including adsorption to the electrode surface and the metabolism of the bacteria during growth. The study suggests that this detection approach would be useful in a number of clinical scenarios where S. aureus leads to difficult to treat infections.
Related Concept Videos
The Carbon Cycle
Carbon Skeletons
Impedance Combination
Impedances and Admittance
Impedance is a measure of resistance to sinusoidal current flow in an AC circuit. Unlike their behavior in DC circuits, where inductors appear as short circuits and capacitors as open circuits, the behavior of these components in AC...
Standard Electrode Potentials
Series Impedances: Three-Phase Line
Using Kirchhoff's laws, an integro-differential equation for the network is derived. This equation accounts for unbalanced phase currents, which may induce return currents through neutral wires and the earth, seeking the least impedance path. Earth return conductors can replace the...

