Microfabricated rGO/PANI interdigitated electrodes for reference-free, label-free pH sensing on flexible substrates

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi16121337

We present a flexible pH sensor which leverages the unique properties of reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline (rGO/PANI) composite films through an efficient and scalable hybrid microfabrication approach, wherein the rGO/PANI films are conformally coated on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates via dip-coating and thereafter lithographically patterned into precise arrays of interdigitated electrodes (IDEs), serving both as the pH-active medium and the electrical interface. Upon dip-coating, a thermal reduction process is performed to yield uniform rGO/PANI composite layers on PET substrates, where the PANI content is adjusted to 20% to optimize conductivity and protonation-driven response. Composition optimization is first performed using inkjet-printed silver (Ag) contacts and a conductometric readout mechanism is employed to explore pH-dependent behavior. Subsequently, IDE arrays are defined in the rGO/PANI using photolithography and oxygen-plasma etching, demonstrating clean pattern transfer and dimensional control on flexible substrates. Eliminating separate contact metals in the final design simplifies the stack and reduces cost. A set of IDE geometries is evaluated through I–V measurements in buffers of different pH values, revealing a consistent, monotonic change in electrical characteristics with pH and geometry-tunable response. The present study demonstrated that the most precise pH measurement was achieved with an 80:20 rGO/PANI composition within the pH 2–10 range. These results establish rGO/PANI IDEs as a scalable route to low-cost, miniaturized, and mechanically compliant pH sensors for field and in-line monitoring applications.