Methods for producing highly sensitive potentiometric sensors

1. A method for producing highly sensitive potentiometric sensors by coating of electrically conductive electrodes with an electroconductive polymer, which method comprises the steps of:

(a) preparing an aqueous solution for electrochemical polymerisation comprising monomeric units of the electroconductive polymer at a concentration in the range of 0.002-0.05M; and a supporting electrolyte, which also serves as a doping agent, at a concentration in the range of 0.0001-0.005M;

(b) assembling an electrochemical polymerisation cell comprising the solution for electrochemical polymerisation, an auxiliary electrode, one or more working electrodes to be coated with electroconductive polymer, and optionally a reference electrode; and

(c) coating the working electrode(s) with a polymer film by the electrochemical synthesis of polymer from the electrochemical polymerisation solution using at least one of the following electrochemical regimes:

(i) applying a cyclic voltage in the range −0.2-+2.0 V vs Ag/AgCl reference electrode between the working electrode(s) to be coated and the auxiliary electrode;

(ii) applying a constant current in the single or multiple current steps with given current density in a range 0.01-1 mA/cm 2 between working electrode(s) to be coated and auxiliary electrode for defined period of time such that final quantity of electricity passed through working electrode(s) will lie in a range 10-250 mC/cm 2 ;

(iii) applying a constant potential in a single or multiple potential steps at the range 0-3 V between working electrode(s) to be coated and a reference electrode for defined period of time such that final quantity of electricity passed through the working electrode(s) will lie in a range 10-250 mC/cm 2 .

2. A method according to claim 1 for producing highly sensitive potentiometric sensors by coating of electrically conductive electrodes with an electroconductive polymer, wherein in step (c) two or more current steps are applied in a galvanostatic regime.

3. A method according to claim 1 for producing highly sensitive potentiometric sensors by coating of electrically conductive electrodes with an electroconductive polymer, wherein in step (c) two or more potential steps are applied in a potentiostatic regime.

4. A method, according to claim 1 for producing highly sensitive potentiometric sensors by coating of electrically conductive electrodes with an electroconductive polymer, wherein in step (c) two or more polymerisation regimes, are applied.

5. A method, according to claim 4 for producing highly sensitive potentiometric sensors by coating of electrically conductive electrodes with an electroconductive polymer, wherein in step (c) the two or more polymerisation regimes are selected from the group consisting of galvanostatic, potentiodynamic, and potentiostatic regimes, are applied.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein in regime (i) the cyclic electric potential is applied for 1-15 cycles.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein in regime (ii) the number of applied current steps is 1-5.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein in step (c) the electrochemical regimes (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) are performed sequentially or in any combination to coat the electrode(s) with a polymer film by the electrochemical synthesis of polymer from the electrochemical polymerisation solution.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein step (c) comprises performing electrochemical regimes (i) and (ii) or (ii) and (iii) sequentially.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the ratio between concentrations of monomeric units of the electroconductive polymer and supporting electrolyte in the electrochemical polymerisation solution is in the range 2:1 to 30.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the ratio between concentrations of monomeric units of the electroconductive polymer and supporting electrolyte in the electrochemical polymerisation solution is approximately 25:1.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein the ratio between concentrations of monomeric units of the electroconductive polymer and supporting electrolyte in the electrochemical polymerisation solution is in the range 5:1 to 30:1.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the monomeric units of the electroconductive polymer are pyrrole, thiophene, furan or any mixture thereof.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein sodium dodecylsulphate is used as the supporting electrolyte.

15. A method according to claim 1 for use in production of two or more highly sensitive potentiometric sensors in a single polymerisation reaction, wherein in the cell for electrochemical polymerisation of step (b) two or more electrodes to be coated are combined in one unit having one common electrical contact.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein all electrodes to be coated in potentiodynamic or potentiostatic regimes are positioned equidistant from the auxiliary electrode.

17. A method according to claim 15 wherein all electrodes to be coated are positioned preferably equidistant from the reference electrode.

18. A method according to claim 1 , which comprises the additional steps of:

(d) washing the electroconductive polymer coated electrode(s) obtained in step (c) in deionized water; and

(e) removing unbound water from the electroconductive polymer layer.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein in step (d) the electroconductive polymer coated electrode(s) are washed with deionized water until traces of monomeric units of the electroconductive polymer and supporting electrolyte are no longer detectable.

20. A method according to claim 18 wherein in step (e) the unbound water is removed from the electroconductive polymer layer by heating the electrode(s) in an incubator for at least 8 hours.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the temperature of heating is within range 25-50° C., preferably 30-40° C.

22. A method according to claim 18 wherein in step (e) the unbound water is removed from the electroconductive polymer layer by lyophilization.