A Circular Vibrating Electrode with Enhanced Mass Transfer for High-Performance Electrochemical Sensors

Many electrochemical sensing applications are limited by the mass transfer processes. In this study, an out-of-plane vibrating working electrode is developed to improve the mass transfer properties in a liquid environment. The electrode is fabricated by depositing gold on a polymer substrate that can be actuated into vibration by the piezoelectric effect. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and electrochemical experiments are carried out to investigate the mass transfer rate under the influence of a vibrating substrate in a fundamental mode. Both the simulation and experiment results indicate that by combining vibration and proper working electrode design, an optimal mass transfer per unit area (or current density) can be achieved.