Comparing Electrochemical Performance of Thin-Film Ti-Pt Microelectrodes on Planar and Non-Planar Glass Substrates for Lab-on-a-Chip Applications

Miniaturization plays a critical role in modern microsystem engineering by enabling automation, reducing material consumption, and lowering operational costs. In electrochemical microsystems, thin-film electrodes are widely adopted due to their favorable surface-to-volume ratio and compatibility with scalable microfabrication processes. This study investigates the electrochemical performance, reliability, and reproducibility of titanium-platinum (Ti-Pt) thin-film microelectrodes patterned on both planar and non-planar glass substrates. The electrodes were fabricated using standard photolithography and physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques, with curvature variation introduced to assess the effect of substrate topology on functional properties. Electrochemical characterization was conducted using classical cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy, with performance benchmarked against conventional platinum electrodes. The results show that Ti-Pt electrodes exhibit stable and repeatable behavior regardless of substrate curvature, with minor variations in impedance characteristics. These findings confirm the suitability of Ti-Pt microelectrodes for integration into complex lab-on-a-chip architectures, including those involving non-planar geometries.