Preparation And Characterization Of A Pedot-Manganese Oxide Composite, And Its Application To Electrochemical Sensing

AStable and transparent aqueous dispersions of a hybrid organic-inorganic composite, are prepared by electrochemically doping Manganese Oxide into Polyethylendioxythiophene (PEDOT). Films deposited from the PEDOT-MnOx dispersions, are characterized by means of electrical and optical measurements, and by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) investigations. The PEDOT-MnOx composite is then used to modify one of the gold electrodes of a simple electrochemical cell, in which Nafion is used as a solid electrolyte. The cell is characterized using time domain electrical measurements. It is found that distinguishable redox peaks arise in the current-voltage loops of the cell, as nanomolar amounts of either acetic acid and ammonia, are added to the deionized water into which the cell is immersed. The intensity of such current peaks, is linearly related to the concentration of the analytes, in the nanomolar range of concentrations.