Electrostatic Polarity Switching Packaging for Degradation Mitigation in Seawater Usage

This paper introduces a novel ion-deposition-resistant packaging designed to mitigate electrode degradation, thereby significantly enhancing the performance and lifespan of electrolytic-based sensors within seawater. This approach employs a polarity-switching mechanism between the packaging and sensor electrodes to repel charged oceanic ions (e.g. sodium, chlorine, magnesium, and potassium) on the electrode surface beyond the environmental Debye length (13 nm), using a 1 V input that was optimized for sufficient repulsion, lowered power consumption, and prevention of unwanted electrolysis. By pushing the ions beyond the Debye length towards an "ion repulsion zone", this mechanism minimizes the ions re-accessing the electrode surface in seawater as the electrode surface is occupied by non-ionic seawater molecules (primarily H2O). This enables the sensor to operate its primary electrolytic function with non-ionic seawater molecules for up to 10 seconds without producing degenerative chlorine gas (Cl2), which was previously a major contributor in electrode degradation and reduced sensor lifespan. Initial experimental results validate the effectiveness of this mechanism, showing a reduction in chlorine gas generation and electrode degradation by 89% and 87%, respectively, and extending sensor lifespan by a factor of 7.9, all without compromising the primary electrolytic functionality in high-saline solutions.