Fabrication of Interdigitated Electrodes (IDEs) by Screen Printing Technology and Their Structural Studies

Abstract

The sensitive layer’s unique nanostructures with interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) platforms have a great significant interest in miniaturized electrochemical sensor applications. Herein, we report the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) modified IDEs structure was designed and screen printed on the fiber epoxy-based printed circuit board (PCB) for electrochemical pH and nutrients sensor applications. The spacing between the four parallel IDEs structure was 1 mm, and it has modeled and tested using CIRCAD software tool. The copper (Cu) metal is the electrode material and screen printed on the fiber epoxy substrate. The ZnO NRs are used as the active layer for the electrochemical sensor platforms. The manufactured ZnO seed particle solution was deposited on the IDEs structure by using a spin coating method. The structural, chemical composition and morphological properties of the ZnO NRs modified IDEs platform examined and it has been studied with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The FeSEM results proved that ZnO NRs based sensitive layers formed on the top of the IDEs structure and the average length and diameters of the grown ZnO NRs found to be 1 μm and ≈ 40 ± 10 nm. The root means square surface roughness of the layer was detected in the average range of 200 nm.