Modulation of the electrical double layer in metals and conducting polymers

The electrical double layer (EDL) formed at the interface between various materials and an electrolyte has been studied for a long time. In particular, the EDL formed at metal/electrolyte interfaces is central in electrochemistry, with a plethora of applications ranging from corrosion to batteries to sensors. The discovery of highly conductive conjugated polymers has opened a new area of electronics, involving solution-based or solution-interfaced devices, and in particular in bioelectronics, namely for use in deep-brain stimulation electrodes and devices to measure and condition cells activity, as these materials offer new opportunities to interface cells and living tissues. Here, it is shown that the potential associated to the double layer formed at the interface between either metals or conducting polymers and electrolytes is modified by the application of an electric field along the conductive substrate. The EDL acts as a transducer of the electric field applied to the conductive substrate. This observation has profound implications in the modelling and operation of devices relying on interfaces between conductive materials (metals and conjugated polymers) and electrolytes, which encompasses various application fields ranging from medicine to electronics.