Transport of ionic species affected by interactions with a pH-sensitive monolayer of microgel particles attached to electrode surface

[Display omitted] •The pH-sensitive microgel based on acrylic acid cross-linked with -SS- was obtained.•The microgel particles were attached to the Au electrode by chemisorption.•pH during modification strongly affected the structure of the microgel monolayer.•pH had a very strong effect on the voltammetric response of the modified electrode.•The switching behavior of the electrode was fully reversible and relatively fast. In this work, we present the use of pH-sensitive microgel based on acrylic acid crosslinked with N,N′-bis(acryloyl)cystamine in the modification of Au electrode surface through the chemisorption process. The strong interactions between the crosslinker disulfide bridges and the gold surface were employed. The shape and morphology of the microgel particles were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gel sensitivity to pH was examined using the dynamic light scattering technique (DLS). The impact of pH on electrode processes at the modified Au surface was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV). It was found that at appropriate pH the microgel particles formed a loose monolayer on the electrode surface, which, in the swollen state, was able to block the transport of negatively charged redox probe to the electrode surface. On the other hand, when the microgels were in the shrunken state, the electrode surface was partially uncovered, and that allowed the redox probe to reach the electrode surface. The anchoring process of the microgels on the Au electrode surface was monitored with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation technique (QCM-D). The electrochemical properties of the modified with the pH-sensitive microgel layer electrodes were examined in the presence of either positively or negatively charged redox probes using CV and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It turned out that the electrochemical signals were strongly affected by both: degree of swelling of the microgel and protonation of the carboxylic groups of acrylic acid in the polymer network. The switching of electrode behavior was fully reversible and relatively fast.