Biophysical Journal 14: 46-68 (1974)
© 1974 the Biophysical Society

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Electrochemical Properties of Hydrated Cation-Selective Glass Membrane

A Model of K⁺ and Na⁺ Transport

ABSTRACT

Electrochemical properties of cation-selective glass microelectrodes made from NAS_27-04 were studied. There was a marked fall in electrical resistance of the microelectrodes stored in 3 M KCl solution (aging). The resistance was in the range of 2 x 10⁷ to 10⁹ , which were much lower than those estimated from the electrical resistivity of dry glass for the equivalent dimensions of microelectrode working tips. This fall in resistance was accompanied by an increase in microelectrode selectivity for K⁺. The low resistance and increased K⁺ selectivity are desirable features that make the microelectrode more suitable for application to biologic studies. The changes in microelectrode resistance and selectivity were interpreted to be due to hydration of the entire thickness of the glass membrane, resulting in a change in the field strength of anionic sites and formation of ionic channels in the glass membrane. Thus, the fall in resistance is explained by decrease in energy barrier, which is equivalent to the activation energy of interaction between the cations and anionic sites in the glass membrane. Some of the microelectrodes showed a transient depolarization that resembled the action potential of a biological membrane. This transient depolarization was associated with the changes in microelectrode resistance and selectivity. The transient depolarizations suggest the temporary development of wide channels in the membrane permitting free movement of hydrated cations according to the bulk electrochemical gradient.