Coupled bipolar electrochemistry

The Construction of Circuitry Using Spatially Coupled Bipolar Electrochemistry... 

The formation of electrical contacts between metal structures and devices is an integral aspect of circuit construction at all scales of commercial importance. Currently photolithographic, screen printing and microsoldering techniques are the methods of choice to establish connections. However, these approaches require masks, templates or intimate physical contact with the components. Spatially Coupled Bipolar Electrochemistry (SCBE) is a novel technique which makes use of electric fields to create electrical connections between components, which not only avoids physical contact but is also applicable in principle to the formation of three dimensional circuitry. The SCBE technique has been developed to a point where the construction of functional robust circuits has been achieved. Preliminary data demonstrating the application of this approach to the formation of polypyrrole bridges between isolated gold structures is also presented. 

It is noteworthy that Ru(bpy)3 immobilization on the electrode surface facilitates the enhancement in the ECL intensity [134]. Ru(bpy)3 immobilized on an electrode surface comprising sol-gel-derived titania, and Nation was used for the determination of erythromycin in human urine sample. ECL combined with bipolar electrochemistry has been used for various analytical purposes by Crooks [66, 135-137] and Manz s co-workers [17]. Manz employed ECL with bipolar electrode for the detection of amines and Crooks and co-workers for the detection of FefCN) , Ru(NH3)i, benzyl viologen, and various ananlytes. Recently, bipolar electrochemistry has also been coupled to ECL in order to propel light-emitting bipolar electrochemical swimmers Fig. 5.22. In this approach, synergestic action... 

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