Flexible Carbon-Cloth-Supported Polyaniline: Poly(4-styrene sulfonate) Electrodes for Electroosmotic Infusion Devices

<p>A robust electroosmotic (EO) pump is developed using electroactive polyaniline (PANI):poly(4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS)/carbon cloth (CC) as an electrode material. PANI:PSS was electropolymerized on a flexible, porous, and conductive CC using a cyclic voltammetry technique and characterized by several physicochemical techniques. The results confirmed the formation of PANI and PSS on the CC. A linear relationship (regression coefficient (R<sup>2</sup>) ≥ 0.99) was observed between the applied potential and the peak current, highlighting the conductive nature of the electrode material. The EO pump incorporating PANI:PSS/CC generated a maximum flow rate of 52.1 μL min–1 and a stall pressure of 91 kPa at 2 V, outperforming the pump incorporating the bare CC. The system was designed to mimic an infusion device consisting of check valves and a 2-mL reservoir, and the pumped fluid was quantitatively measured in real time using a digital flow sensor at room temperature. The EO pump incorporating PANI:PSS/CC was continuously operated at ±2 V for 6 days, and it stably delivered ~1.6 mL of the reservoir solution at a mean flow rate of 13.34 μL min–1, which is sufficient for infusing basal or bolus insulin doses for diabetic patients.</p>