Disposable reference electrode

A disposable reference electrode was developed which can be used for environmental and medical analysis. It is an Ag/AgCl electrode with an integrated junction, prepared using inexpensive materials such as glass-fibre filter medium and heat-sealing film with screen printing and encapsulating by lamination. The potential difference between this electrode and a commercial electrode is hardly influenced by concentration changes and pH (3–11) of the analyte solution. The shelf-life and the operational lifetime of the reference electrode were investigated. Applications with disposable ion selective sensors are demonstrated.