IMAGE-BASED SPECTROELECTROCHEMICAL FRAMEWORK TO PROBE REDOX-ACTIVE HYDROGELS

Abstract

Spectroelectrochemistry integrates electrochemistry with optical spectroscopy and frequently employs chemometric analyses to understand relationships within complex chemical systems. Data generated from these techniques is high-dimensional and dense, requiring specialized expertise and advanced instrumentation to interpret. While these approaches provide powerful analytical capabilities, their cost and complexity can limit accessibility.This thesis presents a simple, image-based analytical framework that extracts red, green, and blue (RGB) signals from time-resolved imaging to quantify chromogenic electrochemical changes. To evaluate this approach, two catechol-functionalized polymer systems with distinct conjugation chemistries, catechol-modified chitosan (cat-chit) and catechol-functionalized polyethylene glycol (cat-PEG), were investigated. These systems were evaluated to compare fabrication and redox responsiveness. Measurements obtained through RGB image decomposition monitored optical and electrochemical changes while preserving complex spatial geometries at sub-second temporal resolution. The results demonstrate that this approach effectively captures analogous data to traditional spectrometry, providing a reliable and accessible alternative for probing complex electrochemical processes.