Thickness Changes of Crosslinked Poly(allyltrimethylammonium chloride) Gel Membranes Induced by a Periodic Voltage Change

Abstract

Periodic changes in the thickness of crosslinked poly(allyltrimethylammonium chloride) (PATMAC) gel membranes, induced by a periodic voltage change, were confirmed to continue for several hours stably on a microelectrode. The amplitude of the periodic change was proportional to the applied voltage, and was dependent on the concentration of NaCl solutions, in which all the membranes were preliminarily equilibrated before use. The amplitude was largest when it was equilibrated in 0.03–0.05 mol dm⁻³ NaCl solutions. Moreover, a propagating wave could be generated on the surface of a gel membrane fixed on a 5-electrode or 10-electrode, by switching the polarity of each microelectrode in order.