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Silicone rubber-matrix membranes doped with tetradecyltrimethylammonium chloride (TDTMACl) are used to enhance electrode performance for chloride measurements in physiological samples. The optimized membrane formulation incorporates 95.4 wt% silicone rubber and 4.6 wt% TDTMACl, and its pH response is negligible in the range of pH 6-10. The TDTMACl-doped silicone rubber membrane exhibits sub-Nernstian response to chloride from 10 to 300 mM (-37.5 mV/decade), but its selectivities for chloride over other anions are remarkably enhanced: KpotCl,NO3=1.3, KpotCl,I=2.0, KpotCl,Sal=0.8, KpotCl,SCN=2.0 and KpotCl,ClO4=0.8. Furthermore, since the silicone rubber-matrix membrane exhibits better adhesion to the solid surface than do PVC membranes, the lifetime of the coated-wire type membrane electrode is greatly improved. The response properties toward chloride and salicylate for solid-state sensor are not significantly changed after at least 35 days of use.
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