Electronically controlled pH gradients and proton oscillations

An organic electronic ion pump, including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as the active material has been used to electronically control the transport of protons between two electrolytes and to change the pH of the target solution from 7 to 3 in a few minutes. The number of transported protons equals the time-integrated current between the two addressing electrodes. If no voltage is applied the leakage due to diffusion is not detectable, which indicates an overall proton delivery on/off ratio exceeding 1000. Locally, the pH drop can be even larger and the relationship between the proton delivery rate of the pump and proton diffusion in the electrolyte forms pH gradients. If the device is instead addressed with short pulses, local pH oscillations are created. The transport of protons presented here can be extended to other small sized ions, which in combination with the biocompatibility of the delivery surface make the device promising for cell communication studies and lab-on-a-chip applications.