Cyclic voltammetric study of redox-active surfactant by hydrogel-modified electrode

Abstract

The dissolved states of redox-active non-ionic surfactant (FPEG) in the swollen state of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPA) hydrogel have been studied by using a gel-modified electrode. The pronounced decrease in the peak current and the negative shift in the formal potential of CV at the gel-modified electrode, as compared with the normal GC electrode, was observed in the micelle-solution; this indicates that the diffusive FPEG molecules which form the micelle hardly penetrate into the NIPA gel. This result suggests that there exists an interaction between FPEG molecules and the NIPA gel in the vicinity of the surface of the NIPA gel in the micelle-solution. However, this also indicates that a small amount of FPEG molecules which can form micelles exist in the NIPA gel.