A simple method for making ion-selective microelectrodes suitable for intracellular recording in vertebrate cells

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate measurement of ion concentrations (Cl-, K+, pH) is crucial in biological research.
• Existing methods for fabricating ion-sensitive microelectrodes can be time-consuming and lack versatility.
• Development of efficient and adaptable electrode manufacturing processes is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a simple, detailed procedure for manufacturing Cl-, K+, and pH liquid membrane ion-sensitive microelectrodes.
• To demonstrate the adaptability of the method to various glass types and tip sizes.
• To highlight the speed and efficiency of the proposed manufacturing technique.

Main Methods:

• Electrodes are back-filled with silane solution and heated (400-500°C).
• Ion-sensitive resin is injected into the prepared electrodes.
• The procedure is compatible with single-barreled, double-barreled, and theta glass.
• Simultaneous preparation of up to 10 electrodes is possible.

Main Results:

• Successfully manufactured functional Cl-, K+, and pH liquid membrane ion-sensitive microelectrodes.
• Produced electrodes with a wide range of tip sizes suitable for extracellular and intracellular recordings.
• Achieved a high production rate of over 40 functional electrodes per hour.

Conclusions:

• The presented procedure offers a simple, rapid, and adaptable method for fabricating ion-sensitive microelectrodes.
• This technique facilitates the production of electrodes for diverse ion-sensing applications in biological research.
• The high throughput of the method supports large-scale electrode production for various experimental needs.