Development of a High-Performance and Robust PANI:PSS/C Electrode for an Electroosmotic Pump

Abstract

A high-performance and durable electroosmotic (EO) pump is developed by using electropolymerized PANI:PSS/C electrodes. PANI:PSS was electrochemically synthesized on the carbon fiber paper using cyclic voltammetry and characterized by a variety of physicochemical methods including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). There was a linear relationship with a regression coefficient R2 ≥ 0.97 between the applied potential and the peak current (Ipeak), maximum flow rate (Qmax), maximum pressure (Pmax), respectively. The EO pump built with PANI:PSS/C electrodes, with an active area of 1.0 cm2, generated the maximum stall pressure of 122 kPa and the maximum flow rate of 203 ul min−1 at 4 V by using deionized (DI) water as a working fluid. The EO pumps assembled with PANI:PSS/C electrodes showed much better overall performances than those made with the bare carbon paper and exhibited good long-term stability without substantial decay for 5 days of continuous operation even at a high potential of 4 V.