Engineering the right membranes for electrodes at the biological interface; solvent cast and electropolymerised.

A generic approach to adapting many sensors to the rigours of biomedical measurement is to protect appropriate components with selective solute discriminating membrane layers. Our work has utilised external barrier membranes for mass transport control to enzyme electrodes in order to adapt their behaviour to requisite clinical ranges; these membranes have had the additional important effect of reducing surface deposition of colloid and other material on electrode surfaces. Internal membranes, especially those interposed between the enzyme layer and the working electrode of an amperometric sensor, have been found by us to be remarkably important in determining sensor operational stability. This paper will review such membrane materials, including coating technologies, and suggest appropriate directions for future work.