Aerosol Jet Printed Ion-Selective Electrodes for Potassium Detection.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Potassium ion-selective electrodes (K-ISEs) are crucial for monitoring potassium levels in various matrices.
• Existing commercial K-ISEs have limitations in interference response and fabrication control.
• Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) offers a novel approach for fabricating electrochemical sensors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of K-ISEs fabricated using AJP.
• To compare the AJP-K-ISEs with a commercial K-ISE (KION) under controlled interference conditions.
• To assess the potential of AJP for developing advanced ion-selective electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of K-ISEs using Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP).
• Performance evaluation including sensitivity, selectivity, and response time.
• Morphological analysis using Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).
• Comparative analysis against a commercial KION electrode under controlled interference (Na+, NH4+, urea).

Main Results:

• Both AJP and commercial K-ISEs demonstrated near-Nernstian behavior (approx. 57 mV/decade).
• AJP-K-ISEs showed significantly reduced sensitivity to sodium interference compared to commercial electrodes.
• AJP enabled smoother films and better interface control, but exhibited lower reproducibility (30.12% vs. 18.45%).

Conclusions:

• AJP is a viable technique for fabricating K-ISEs with improved selectivity against sodium.
• Further refinement of AJP printing and membrane deposition is necessary to enhance sensor reproducibility.
• AJP-fabricated K-ISEs show potential for applications in agricultural and environmental monitoring.