Potassium Ion Sensing With Nanowire Electrodes on a Flexible Substrate for Early Detection of Myocardial Ischemia

Abstract

An increase in extracellular potassium levels is a physiological sign of myocardial ischemia and timely sensing with an implantable potassium sensing biosensor could play a significant role in detecting and expediting care. In this paper, unique fabrication techniques for both planar and nanowire structured gold microelectrodes are described along with data showing the enhanced charge transfer capabilities of the nanowire design. Optimization is required for the electrodeposition of polypyrrole onto gold nanowires and processing details along with characterization data are provided for both the polypyrrole layer and ion selective membrane. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results show that the polypyrrole coated gold nanowire electrodes provide stable charge transfer, showing the potential as a potassium sensing device for the early detection of myocardial ischemia applications.