Electroanalytical sensors for nonconducting media based on electrodes supported on perfluorinated ion-exchange membranes

Electroanalytical sensors, suitable for the analysis and monitoring of electroactive analytes present in gaseous phase or low-conductive liquid media, and based on electrodes in close contact with perfluorinated ion-exchange polymers are reviewed. The basic operative mechanism of these sensors, in which ion-exchange polymers act as solid polymer electrolytes (SPE's), is thoroughly discussed, while stressing the fundamental reasons why their behavior differs from that of conventional membrane electrodes. The procedures for preparing composite working electrodes by coating one side of ion-exchange membranes with stable porous films of conductive materials are described, along with the most common strategies followed to assemble this type of sensors. Useful examples of measurements in electrolyte-free media of inorganic and organic electroactive species of interest mainly for environmental analysis are given. Future prospects for the development of these sensors are also discussed.     

Potential shifts at electrodes coated with ion-exchange polymeric films

Voltammetry at electrodes modified with ion-exchange polymers, named "ion exchange voltammetry", has been recently developed for characterizing and determining quantitatively ionic electroactive analytes preconcentrated at the electrode surface. Like for other voltammetric techniques, characterization is based on the position of the response on the potential scale, but an appreciable difference is frequently observed between the formal half-wave potential for redox couples incorporated within ion-exchange polymeric films and those for the same redox couples in solution as measured at bare electrodes. Such a difference has been rationalized here by a generalized equation, inferred from a suitable elaboration of the Nernst equation, whose validity has been tested by a thorough investigation performed at glassy carbon electrodes modified with either cationic (Nafion) or anionic (Tosflex) polymeric films. With this purpose, the effect of both charge and concentration of the analyte and of the loading counterion, this last introduced as the cation or anion of the supporting electrolyte, of the ion-exchange selectivity coefficients of the redox partners and of their stoichiometric coefficients, as well as of the number of electrons involved in the charge transfer has been evaluated. The results obtained agree quite well with theoretical expectations and indicate that the potential shifts found are mainly conditioned by both charge and concentration of the counterion from the supporting electrolyte and by the ratio of the ion-exchange equilibrium constants for the two redox partners involved. Other parameters considered have no influence on the potential shift or lead to negligible effects, provided that the quantities of the redox partners incorporated within the ion-exchange coating represents less than 5% of the film capacity. Again in agreement with theoretical expectations, positive shifts are found for increasing supporting electrolyte concentrations when cationic redox species incorporated within cationic films are involved, while the opposite effect is found for anionic redox species incorporated within anionic films.     

A direct comparison of amperometric gas sensors with gas-diffusion and ion-exchange membrane based electrodes

The effect of the nature of the working electrode used in amperometric gas sensors on the performance criteria of sensitivity, detection limit, gas flow rate and humidity dependence was evaluated. The arrangement based on metallized ion-exchange membranes (Nafion) was compared with gas-diffusion electrodes based on porous poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) with metallic electrodes deposited on the rear side. Two representative analyte gases were chosen: SO2, which has fast reaction kinetics, and NO, which has slow reaction kinetics. It was found that both types of electrodes showed a similar performance. A dependence on the flow rate of the sample gas was found in both cases. The sensitivities were higher for the ion-exchange membrane-backed electrodes; however, the 3sigma detection limits were all in the lower ppb range and for NO were significantly lower on the Nafion membrane than on the PTFE membrane. The Nafion electrode was found to show a dependence on the relative humidity of the gas stream, but not the PTFE-based electrode.     

Factors affecting the analytical applications of zeolite-modified electrodes preconcentration of electroactive species

The influence of various experimental parameters on the electrochemical response of zeolite-modified electrodes (ZMEs) have been studied using ion-exchange voltammetry, with regard to their application as amperometric sensors. In order to cover a large range of parameters, the investigations were carried out using three zeolites (A, X and Y), selected for their different cation-exchange capacities and ion-sieving properties; four electroactive species (silver(I), copper(II), dopamine and methylviologen) chosen on the basis of their size, charge and inorganic or organic nature; and two kinds of ZMEs: the zeolite-modified carbon-paste electrode (ZMCPE) and the zeolite monograin layers coated on glassy carbon electrode (ZMGCE). Compared to the corresponding unmodified electrodes, improvements in sensitivity were observed when using ZMEs, due to analyte accumulation at the electrode's surface by ion exchange in zeolite particles. The concentration process, and the subsequent voltammetric response of ZMEs, were found to be strongly affected by the accessibility of the analytes to the ion-exchanging sites and their mobility within the zeolite framework. Good correlation was found between results obtained in ion-exchange voltammetry and conventional ion-exchange characterization. The advantage of these fundamental studies for electroanalytical purposes was exemplified for the determination of copper(II) ions, using both ZMCPE and ZMGCE, zeolites A, X and Y, and the following analytical scheme: “preconcentration/voltammetric detection”.     

Modification of electrodes with catalytic, size-exclusion films

The application of electroanalytical methodology to the study of liquid-phase samples can be complicated by the adsorption of sample components on the electrode surface. Macromolecules are particularly problematic in this regard. An early means of addressing this problem was to use a membrane permeable to the analyte as a barrier between the sample phase and the electrochemical cell. Amperometric determination of oxygen in biological fluids is a historically important example. This approach was refined by modifying electrodes with semi-permeable, conducting films applied directly to the surface of the working electrode. Cellulose acetate is an example of a conductive material that blocked adsorption of compounds in biological samples but was permeable to analytes such as hydrogen peroxide. Modification of electrodes with ion-exchange films and, more recently, porous sol?Cgel films was an expansion of this methodology. A complicating factor was that oxidation or reduction of most analytes requires a catalyst. The development of films that are size-exclusion barriers to interferents and incorporate an electron-transfer catalyst is described.     

Studies on the Preparation and Analytical Applications of Various Metal Ion-Selective Membrane Electrodes Based on Polymeric,Inorganic and Composite Materials—A Review

Ion-selective membrane electrodes commonly known as electrochemical sensors are important in view of the ability to make direct or indirect measurement of various metal ions. The fact is that the use of ion-selective electrodes for such type of measurements requires relatively inexpensive equipment, which makes ion-selective electrodes attractive to scientists in many disciplines. Thus, potentometric sensors can offer an inexpensive and convenient method for the analysis of heavy metal ions in solutions providing acceptable sensitivity and selectivity. For this purpose, many organic, inorganic, chelating, intercalating and composite materials were studied as electroactive materials for the preparation of ion-selective membrane electrodes. The present study provides a detailed review of literature for the fabrication, characterization and analytical applications of ion-selective membrane electrode based on different electro active components.     

Polypyrrole-calcion film as a membrane and solid-contact in an indicator electrode for potentiometric titrations

This paper shows the application of conducting polymers (CPs) for constructing potentiometric indicator electrodes. Two types of polypyrrole (PPy)-based calcium sensors are presented, one sensor with PPy-calcion film as the active part and the other sensor with PPy-calcion as a solid-state contact coated with a conventional membrane selective towards calcium ions. It is shown that the PPy-calcion film, due to the complexing properties of calcion ensuring high loading of the film with calcium, is sufficiently selective to be used as the active part or as a mediating layer of the indicator electrode. The electrode, with PPy-calcion film as the active part, was used as the indicator electrode in potentiometric titrations of calcium in mixed solvents, where conventional PVC-based electrode can not be used. For the first time, the practical applicability of PPy-based electrodes in titrations is demonstrated.     

A new potentiometric gas sensor-the air-gap electrode

The concept and construction of a newly developed gas sensor, the air-gap electrode, is described. The hydrophobic gas-permeable membrane generally employed in gas electrodes is replaced by an air gap which separates the electrolyte layer from the sample solution. By avoiding the membrane construction and utilizing a very thin layer of electrolyte at the surface of the indicator electrode, a very high speed of response is obtained. Furthermore, the life time of the sensor is substantially increased, as the electrode does not come into direct physical contact with the sample solutions; thus there is no interference from surfactants, particulate matter or organic solvents. The electrolyte layer can be easily renewed or even changed according to the requirements of a particular analysis, so that the same electrode can be used for measurements of a variety of gases. Two different techniques of applying the air-gap electrode are described. The airgap electrode was used to determine the carbon dioxide and ammonia contents of a series of samples, using sample volumes from 50–150 μl to several ml. The electrode was also used to determine the ammonium ion content in serum and plasma samples, yielding highly satisfactory results. The speed of response was of the order of 1–3 min. Some potential applications of the sensor are mentioned.     

Recent developments in the field of screen-printed electrodes and their related applications

The development of analytical methods that respond to the growing need to perform rapid ‘in situ’ analyses shows disposable screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) as an alternative to the traditional electrodes. This review presents recent developments in the electrochemical application of disposable screen-printed sensors, according to the types of materials used to modify the working electrode. Therefore, unmodified SPE, film-modified SPE, enzyme-modified SPE and antigen/antibody-modified SPE are described. Applications are included where available.     

A new access to Gibbs energies of transfer of ions across liquid|liquid interfaces and a new method to study electrochemical processes at well-defined three-phase junctions

Droplets of polar and nonpolar aprotic solvents containing dissolved electroactive species can be easily attached to paraffin-impregnated graphite electrodes. When the electrode with the attached droplet is introduced into an aqueous electrolyte solution, the electrochemical reactions of the dissolved species can be elegantly studied. Provided the droplet does not contain a dissolved electrolyte, the electrochemical reaction will be confined to the very edge of the three-phase junction droplet|graphite|aqueous electrolyte. When a neutral species is oxidised, two pathways are possible: the oxidised species can remain in the droplet and anions will be transferred from the aqueous solution to the organic solvent, or the oxidised species may leave the droplet and enter the aqueous solution. Depending on the nature of the dissolved species, the nature of the organic solvent, the presence or absence of appropriate anions and cations in the two liquid phases, very different reaction pathways are possible. The new approach allows studies of ion transfer between immiscible solvents to be performed with a three-electrode potentiostat. Electrochemical determinations of the Gibbs energy of ion transfer between aqueous and nonpolar nonaqueous liquids are possible, whereas conventional ion transfer studies require the presence of a dissociated electrolyte in the organic phase. The new method considerably widens the spectrum of accessible ions.     

羟基新戊醛在PbO2-SPE组合电极上的电氧化研究

采用热压-电镀法制得PbO₂-固体高聚物电解质(SPE)组合电极. 通过伏安曲线和槽压与过电位曲线的测量, 研究羟基新戊醛在该组合电极上电氧化行为. 通过PbO₂-SPE组合电极在阳极液中有、 无液相支持电解质及不同阴极液情况下的循环伏安曲线和线性伏安曲线比较, 证明该组合电极对羟基新戊醛氧化有较好的电催化作用.     

New possibilities in Analytical Chemistry connected with voltammetric applications of microelectrodes

Substantially different properties of microelectrodes in comparison to regular-area electrodes contribute to widening of the range of possibilities in electroanalytical work. This includes abandoning the supporting electrolyte, larger set of acceptable solvents, faster measurements, and high-concentration range of analytes.     

Ion-selective electrodes based on siderophores: Salicylate response of a ferrimycobactin membrane

Siderophores are compounds which transport iron across cell membranes; mycobactins are hydrophobic siderophores and were expected to be suitable for inclusion in the organic membrane phase of a liquid ion-exchange electrode responsive to iron(III) ions. In practice, no iron(III) response was obtained from mycobactin membranes (in a variety of solvents), but they did respond to salicylate ion with a sensitivity of 27–29 mV/decade over the range 2 × 10^?3–3 × 10^?2 mol l^?1 at pH 7. The effects of pH and interference by other anions are described and the possible mechanisms of the electrode are discussed. The selectivity of the electrode for salicylate is better than that of quaternary ammonium liquid ion-exchange electrodes.     

A novel screen-printed electrode array for rapid high-throughput detection

A novel multi-channel electrode array sensing device was fabricated by screen-printing techniques using 96-well plate as the template. To confirm its practical value, we developed a one-step preparation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) doped electrode array by an ink containing MWCNTs, which was applied to the simultaneous detection of a variety of biological samples and environmental pollutants. Results demonstrated that the designed sensing device could carry out the multiple measurements of different analytes at the same time, while MWCNTs enhanced the electrocatalytic activity of electrodes toward electroactive molecules. The required amount of each sample was only ～200 μL. Moreover, the excellent differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) response toward dopamine, hydroquinone and catechol was obtained and the detection limits was determined to be 0.337, 0.289 and 0.369 μM, respectively. Comparing it with the traditional screen-printed electrode (SPE), this sensing device possesses the advantages of high-throughput, fast electron transfer rate for electrodes, short-time analysis and low sample consumption.     

Electron transfer in SAM/cytochrome/polyelectrolyte hybrid systems on electrodes: a time-resolved surface-enhanced resonance Raman study

Silver electrodes were covered with mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and 11-mercaptoundecanol (MU) and subsequently coated with alternating layers of cytochrome c (Cyt) and poly(anilinesulfonic acid) (PASA). The immobilized protein is electroactive and retains its native structure. Compared to the case of systems on gold electrodes, the stability of the assembly was found to be decreased. The redox process of Cyt is accompanied by reversible oxidation-reduction of PASA as revealed by the comparative surface-enhanced resonance Raman (SERR) analysis of assemblies including Cyt and the redox-inactive apo-cytochrome c. Time-resolved SERR experiments show a fast electron exchange between the protein and the polyelectrolyte that may play a supporting role in the electric communication of thicker multilayer assemblies employed as sensors.     

Combination pH electrodes of special design: Temperature characteristics and performance in poorly-buffered waters

The performance of 5 combination pH electrodes with special design features has been assessed. Two electrodes were intended for measurements in low-conductivity waters, two were designed to have a rapid and stable temperature response and one electrode shared both features. The performance in low-conductivity waters was either poor or merely acceptable; better results have been obtained with separate glass and reference electrodes. The electrodes designed to have good temperature response were better in this respect than conventional combination electrodes, but the same or better performance can be obtained by use of separate glass and remote-junction reference electrodes. It should be noted that the temperature coefficients of these combination electrodes were the same as for almost all pH electrodes: any improvement was only in the rate and stability of response.     

Electrochemical characteristics of polyelectrolyte brushes with electroactive counterions

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was employed to characterize the electrochemical behavior of polyelectrolyte brushes with immobilized electroactive counterions in response to external changes in concentration and composition of the supporting electrolyte and as a function of brush thickness. Poly(methacryloyloxy)ethyl-trimethyl-ammonium chloride (PMETAC) brushes were synthesized on Au substrates via atom transfer radical polymerization followed by ion-exchange with ferricyanide ions ([Fe(CN)6]3-) as redox probes. CV measurements of the modified PMETAC brushes showed the typical electrochemical response corresponding to a surface-confined electroactive species and the redox counterions, as [Fe(CN)6]3- species form stable ion pairs with the quaternary ammonium groups of the brush. The electron-transfer features of PMETAC brushes with different thicknesses, as characterized by CV and UV-vis spectroscopy, revealed that the charge density probed by CV was lower than the charge density measured by UV-vis spectroscopy. The electrode current decreased significantly with increasing concentration of supporting electrolyte due to the effect of the Donnan potential. Hydrophobic counterions, ClO4-, which induced brush collapse, lead to significantly reduced electrode currents.     

Redox-active electrolyte supercapacitors using electroactive ionic liquids

Here we present redox ionic liquid supercapacitors (RILSCs) which use electrolytes made from ionic liquids modified with an electroactive function to increase the energy density of activated carbon electrodes via faradaic reactions. More specifically, two different ionic liquids were made by modifying either the imidazolium cation or the bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion with ferrocene in order to determine the importance of the electroactive ion's polarity. The functionalization of an ionic liquid with ferrocene led to high concentrations of redox moieties in the electrolyte (2.4 M) and a large maximum operating voltage (2.5 V). An energy density of up to 13.2 Wh per kg (both electrodes) was obtained which represents an 83% increase vs. the unmodified ionic liquid. When the ionic liquid's anion is modified with ferrocene, the self-discharge at the positive electrode is fully suppressed due to the deposition of a film on the electrode. The results presented herein demonstrate that electroactive ionic liquids constitute a promising alternative to conventional solute in solvent electrolytes found in energy storage devices, and are particularly well-suited for redox-active electrolyte supercapacitors.     

Alternating current polarography of metal carbonyl complexes in nonaqueous solvents

Using commercially available instrumentation, a supporting electrolyte and electrode system was devised which permits ac polarography of organometallic compounds, transition metal complexes, and other substances in nonaqueous solvents such as methanol, N,N-dimethylformamide, or acetonitrile. The first two solvents mentioned were found to be far superior to the latter. Tetrabutylammonium perchlorate electrolyte (0.1 M or less) in methanol, for example, affords a fairly flat baseline in the applied dc potential range of 0 to ?3 V with well-shaped voltammetric peaks for most reducible substances. A unique feature of the method, which permits one to easily obtain replicable polarograms and peak potentials, is the use of a mercury pool auxiliary electrode rather than the usual platinum or tungsten electrodes.     

Electroanalysis based on stand-alone matrices and electrode-modifying films with silica sol-gel frameworks: a review

Silica sol-gel matrices and its organically modified analogues that contain aqueous electrolytes, ionic liquids, or other ionic conductors constitute stand-alone solid-state electrochemical cells when hosting electrodes or serve as modifying films on working electrodes in conventional cells. These materials facilitate a wide variety of analytical applications and are employed in various designs of power sources. In this review, analytical applications are the focus. Solid-state cells that serve as gas sensors, including in chromatographic detectors of gas-phase analytes, are described. Sol-gel films that modify working electrodes to perform functions such as hosting electrochemical catalysts and acting as size-exclusion moieties that protect the electrode from passivation by adsorption of macromolecules are discussed with emphasis on pore size, structure, and orientation. Silica sol-gel chemistry has been studied extensively; thus, factors that control its general properties as frameworks for solid-state cells and for thin films on the working electrode are well characterized. Here, recent advances such as the use of dendrimers and of nanoscale beads in conjunction with electrochemically assisted deposition of silica to template pore size and distribution are emphasized. Related topics include replacing aqueous solutions as the internal electrolyte with room-temperature ionic liquids, using the sol-gel as an anchor for functional groups and modifying electrodes with silica-based composites.