Preparation and performance of a solid-state thin-film Ag/AgCl quasi-reference electrode modified by chitosan-graphene

Ag/AgCl reference electrode is widely used in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical measurement. In this paper, we developed a solid-state thin film Ag/AgCl quasi-reference electrode modified by chitosan-graphene. The quasi-reference electrode consisted of Ag layer (deposited by magnetron sputtering), AgCl layer (chloridized by NaClO solution), and modification membrane. The performance of a bared Ag/AgCl electrode, an Ag/AgCl electrode modified by chitosan, graphene, and by chitosan-graphene respectively was investigated. Surface morphology, energy spectrum, and electrochemical experiments were conducted in four Ag/AgCl electrodes with different modifications, respectively. With the surface morphology and energy spectrum analysis, the thickness of Ag layer and the conversion of Ag to AgCl were verified firstly. Then the durability, reversibility, and CV behavior were tested in different solutions. The results demonstrated excellent features of the Ag/AgCl quasi-reference electrode modified by chitosan-graphene in all measurements. The developed quasi-reference electrode can be applied in pH measurement, electrochemical tests, and photoelectrochemical test.

Automated summary

A solid-state thin film Ag/AgCl quasi-reference electrode modified by chitosan-graphene was developed and its performance was investigated through experiments, demonstrating excellent features in all measurements. This newly developed quasi-reference electrode can be applied in pH measurement, electrochemical tests, and photoelectrochemical tests.