Thermally‐Drawn Multi‐Electrode Fibers for Bipolar Electrochemistry and Magnified Electrochemical Imaging

Abstract

Abstract Imaging systems using closed bipolar electrode (cBPE) arrays and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) have attracted great attention in recent years as a 2D imaging platform with high spatiotemporal resolution. However, the fabrication techniques for cBPE arrays involve complicated procedures. Therefore, a new fabrication scheme enabling the mass production of cBPE arrays with high precision, reproducibility, and yield, is desired. Here, the use of a versatile and scalable thermal drawing process as a novel fabrication method for fiber‐based cBPEs with feature sizes down to micro‐/nanoscales is proposed. First, a single‐electrode fiber consisting of a carbon‐based composite as the electrode material is produced by thermal drawing. The fundamental electrical properties of the single‐electrode fiber are characterized, and its applicability to the cBPE‐ECL system is demonstrated. A multielectrode fiber is fabricated by subjecting a bundle of 104 single‐electrode fibers to thermal drawing. Its usability as a cBPE array for ECL imaging is confirmed with a functional rate of 99%. Further the multielectrode fiber, utilizing the principle of thermal drawing, for magnified electrochemical imaging is tapered. This work establishes a novel mass‐production method for cBPE arrays, as well as a proof of concept for magnified electrochemical imaging using a thermally‐drawn electrode array fiber.