Electrochemical Characterization of the Hydrophobic Interaction and the Natural Convection within Agarose Gel

Abstract

The electrochemical characteristics of redox reaction within agarose as solid electrolyte were investigated. Cyclic voltammetry of ferrocenemethanol within agarose shows the fast charge transfer similar to that in aqueous electrolyte while the difference in chemical interactions between polymeric backbone and redox molecules shifts the formal potential by a few mV. Cyclic voltammetry also demonstrates that diffusion governs the mass transport with the almost same diffusion coefficient to that in aqueous electrolyte in spite of the presence of steric, electrostatic, and chemical interaction. In contrast, the mass-transport behavior in long time region of redox molecules within solid agarose in chronoamperometry shows the reduced natural convection effect than that in liquid electrolyte owing to the presence of polymeric backbone. Analysis by commercial software of COMSOL provides the information about thickness of stagnant layer from natural convection and the effect on chronoamperometry.