Inorganic and biological electron transfer across an electronically conductive composite polymer membrane

Abstract

Abstract : We describe in this paper an experiment involving an electronically conductive polymer that, to our knowledge, has not been described previously. A free-standing conductive polymer (polypyrrole)-based membrane separates a solution of an electron donor from a solution of an electron acceptor. Because the conductive polymer is both electronically and anionically conductive, the membrane can transport electrons from the donor solution to the acceptor solution, and anions in the opposite direction, such that a sustainable electron-transfer reaction is driven across the conductive polymer membrane. We demonstrate such transmembrane electron/ion-transfer processes using both an inorganic and a-biochemical electron donor/acceptor system. The biochemical case is of particular interest because we show that the reduced form of the enzyme glucose oxidase can give its electrons directly to the polypyrrolemembrane surface. Direct electron transfer is usually not possible at inorganic metals.