Labeled magnetic nanoparticles assembly on polypyrrole film for biosensor applications

In recent years, conducting polymers combined with metallic nanoparticles have been paid more attention due to their potential applications in microelectronics, microsystems, optical sensors and photoelectronic chemistry. The work presented in this paper describes the preparation and characterization of a nanocomposite composed by a thin polypyrrole (PPy) film covered with an assembly of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). The magnetic particles were immobilized on PPy films under appropriate magnetic field in order to control their organization on the PPy film and finally to improve the sensitivity of the system in potential sensing applications. The electrical properties and morphology of the resulting PPy film and the PPy film/NPs composite were characterized with cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy (IS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and infra-red spectroscopy (IR). By using streptavidin labeled magnetic particles it was possible to functionalize the NPs assembly with biotin-Fab fragment K47 antibody. The designed biosensor had been successfully applied in rapid, simple, and accurate measurements of atrazine concentrations, with a significantly low detection limit of 5 ng/ml.     

Study of interface properties in CuPc based hybrid inorganic-organic solar cells

Metal-substituted phthalocyanine thin films such as copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) are often used as photo-active and hole transporting layers (HTLs) in fully organic photovoltaic devices. In this work, CuPc is vacuum sublimated on an electron acceptor layer of mesoporous titania (TiO(2)) for the formation of hybrid TiO(2):CuPc solar cell devices. The performance of these hybrid solar cell devices was demonstrated without and with dye sensitization at the TiO(2):CuPc interface. The charge separation and photocurrent contribution at the interfaces in these multilayer hybrid devices was studied by using a variety of optoelectrical and photophysical characterization techniques. It is important to understand the fundamental interface properties of these multilayer hybrid solar cell devices for optimized performance.     

ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE COMPOSITE PREPARED BY ELECTROCHEMICAL POLYMERIZATION OF PYRROLE IN POLY-(p- PHENYLENE TEREPHTHALAMIDE) MATRIX

The preparation of PPy/PPTA conductive composite films by electrochemical method is presented.The first step is to cast a thin layer of poly (p-phenylene-terephthalamide) (PPTA) on a slice of Pt working electrode. The second step is to electrochemically polymerize pyrrole on the PPTA/Pt working electrode. Both of the electrical conductivity and the mechanical properties of the PPy/PPTA composite film are better than those of the pure PPy film, and the film has excellent flexibility at low temperature, even in liquid nitrogen.The SEM picture of the cross-section of PPy,/PPTA composite film showed that the two components were well mixed.Cyclic voltammograms of PPy,/PPTA film in aqueous solution showed that the conductive films could be reduced and reoxidized.     

Novel chemical synthesis of polypyrrole thin film electrodes for supercapacitor application

Present investigation describes the cost-effective, novel and simple chemical synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy) thin films for supercapacitor application. These PPy films are characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD pattern reveals the amorphous nature of PPy thin film, which is highly feasible for supercapacitors. Further, FTIR study confirms the formation of PPy. The surface morphological study exhibit the coverage of uniform and smooth morphology on thin film. The electrochemical supercapacitive properties of PPy thin films are evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte, which exhibits the maximum specific capacitance of 329 Fg⁻¹ at the scan rate of 5 mV s⁻¹. Additionally, an equivalent series resistance (ESR) of PPy thin films is found to be 1.08 Ω using electrochemical impedance measurement.     

Electropolymerization of polypyrrole, modified with germanium, on a passivated titanium electrode in aqueous nitrate solution: new results on catalytic reduction of protons and dissolved oxygen

Conductive polypyrrole (PPy) films and PPy films containing Ge microparticles were synthesized by anodic oxidation of pyrrole in acidic nitrate solutions using a bare passivated titanium electrode. Well-adhering black PPy films were obtained both under galvanostatic and potentiodynamic polarization. After the formation of the PPy film, during the first anodic cycle, an increase of the anodic deposition current with the number of cycles was observed, revealing the increase of conductivity of the growing film. The variations of the electrode surface area were estimated by impedance spectroscopy measurements. The kinetics of the PPy film formation is controlled by diffusion of the Py monomer in the solution. The diffusion coefficient, estimated by two different methods, was ca. 2×10^–6 cm² s^–1. The reduction rate of oxygen and protons at the Ti/PPy/Ge electrodes depends on how the Ge microparticles are incorporated in the PPy film. Optimum conditions for this incorporation are realized with thin PPy films and high Ge loading. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the PPy film containing Ge microparticles is more thermally stable than the blank PPy film. Electronic Publication     

TiO2-MoO3复合纳米管阵列薄膜的制备及其可见光活性

通过阳极氧化的方法制备TiO₂纳米管薄膜, 在MoO₃存在的条件下对该薄膜进行热处理得到TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管阵列薄膜. 利用X射线衍射(XRD), 扫描电子显微镜(SEM), X射线光电子能谱(XPS), 电化学阻抗谱(EIS), Mott-Schottky 及光电化学方法对得到的薄膜进行了表征. XRD结果表明, TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管薄膜中的TiO₂主要为锐钛矿晶型. SEM实验证实了薄膜纳米管结构的存在, 样品中的MoO₃均匀地分散在TiO₂纳米管表面. 利用XPS方法分析了TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管薄膜元素的组成, 结果表明, MoO₃在TiO₂表面形成TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管薄膜. 研究了热处理温度以及热处理时间对样品的光电化学性能的影响, 相对于单纯TiO₂纳米管薄膜, 适量引入MoO₃提高了样品在可见光区的光电响应能力, 样品的平带电位负移. 在450 °C热处理60 min制得的TiO₂-MoO₃复合半导体纳米管阵列薄膜光电响应活性最高.     

Controllable fabrication of porous free-standing polypyrrole films via a gas phase polymerization

A facile gas phase polymerization method has been proposed in this work to fabricate porous free-standing polypyrrole (PPy) films. In the presence of pyrrole vapor, the films are obtained in the gas/water interface spontaneously through the interface polymerization with the oxidant of FeCl(3) in the water. Both the thickness of the film and the size of the pores could be controlled by adjusting the concentrations of the oxidant and the reaction time. The as-prepared PPy films exhibited a superhydrophilic behavior due to its composition and porous structures. We have demonstrated a possible formation mechanism for the porous free-standing PPy films. This gas phase polymerization is shown to be readily scalable to prepare large area of PPy films.     

Thin wetting films from aqueous solutions of surfactants and phospholipid dispersions

The microscopic thin wetting film method was used to study the stability of wetting films from aqueous solution of surfactants and phospholipid dispersions on a solid surface. In the case of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C(14)TAB) films the experimental data for the receding contact angle, film lifetime, surface potential at the vapor/solution and solution/silica interface were used to analyze the stability of the studied films. It is shown that with increasing C(14)TAB concentration charge reversal occurs at both (vapor/solution and solution/silica) interfaces, which affects the thin-film stability. The spontaneous rupture of the thin aqueous film was interpreted in terms of the earlier proposed heterocoagulation mechanism. The presence of the mixed cationic/anionic surfactants was found to lower contact angles and suppresses the thin aqueous film rupture, thus inducing longer film lifetime, as compared to the pure amine system. In the case of mixed surfactants hetero-coagulation could arise through the formation of ionic surfactant complexes. The influence of the melting phase-transition temperature T(c) of the dimyristoylphosphatiddylcholine (DMPC) on the stability of thin films from dispersions of DMPC small unilamellar vesicles on a silica surface was studied by measuring the film lifetime and the TPC expansion rate. The stability of thin wetting films formed from dispersions of DMPC small unilamellar vesicles was investigated by the microinterferometric method. The formation of wetting films from diluted dispersions of DMPC multilamellar vesicles was studied in the temperature range 25-32 degrees C. The stability of thin film of lipid vesicles was explained on the basis of hydrophobic interactions. The results obtained show that the stability of wetting films from aqueous solutions of single cationic and mixed cationic-anionic surfactants has electrostatic origin, whereas the stability of the phospholipid film is due to hydrophobic interaction.     

Acetone‐Induced Graphene Oxide Film Formation at the Water–Air Interface

Graphene oxide (GO) is an amphiphilic soft material, which can accumulate at the water–air interface. However, GO sheets diffuse slowly in the aqueous phase because of their large size. It is still challenging to form high quality GO films in a controllable and simple way. In this study, we showed that GO sheets can quickly migrate to the water–air interface and form thin films when a suitable amount of acetone is directly mixed with a GO aqueous dispersion. The film formation rate and surface coverage of GO sheets depend on the volume of acetone added, GO dispersion concentration, and formation time. Among several organic solvents, acetone has its advantage for GO film formation owing to its three properties: a nonsolvent to GO aqueous dispersions, miscible with a GO aqueous dispersion, and fast evaporation. Furthermore, we have found that the film formation also is governed by the size of GO sheets and their oxygen content. Although smaller GO sheets could migrate to the water–air interface faster, the overlapping of small GO sheets and the increase in contact resistance is not desirable. A higher oxygen content in GO sheets could also result in smaller GO sheets. Multilayer GO films can be obtained through layer‐by‐layer dip‐coating. These findings open opportunities in developing simple scalable GO film fabrication processes.     

Synthesis of TiO2 nanocoral structures in ever-changing aqueous reaction systems

A far-from-equilibrium strategy is developed to synthesize coral-like nanostructures of TiO(2) on a variety of surfaces. TiO(2) nanocoral structures consist of anatase base film and rutile nanowire layers, and they are continuously formed on substrates immersed in aqueous TiOSO(4)-H(2)O(2). The sequential deposition of TiO(2) starts with hydrolysis and condensation reactions of titanium peroxocomplexes in the aqueous phase, resulting in deposition of amorphous film. The film serves as adhesive interface on which succeeding growth of rutile nanowires to occur. This initial deposition reaction is accompanied by shift in pH of the reaction media, which is favorable condition for the growth of rutile nanocrystals. During the growth of rutile nanocoral layers, the amorphous base films are transformed to anatase phase. These sequential deposition reactions occur at temperatures as low as 80 °C, and the mild synthetic condition allows the use of a wide range of substrates such as ITO (indium tin oxide), glass, and even organic polymer films. The thickness of nanocoral layer is controllable by repeating the growth reaction of rutile nanocorals. TiO(2) nanocorals show photocatalytic activity as demonstrated by site-specific reduction of Ag(I) ions, which proceeds preferentially on the rutile nanowire layer. The rutile nanowire layer also shows photocatalytic decomposition of acetaldehyde, which is promoted upon increase of the thickness of the nanowire layer. The use of temporally transforming reaction media allows the formation of biphasic TiO(2) nanocoral structures, and the concept of nonequilibrium synthetic approach would be widely applicable to developing structurally graded inorganic nanointerfaces.     

Preparation, structure, and electrochemistry of a polypyrrole film doped with manganese(III)-substituted Dawson-type phosphopolyoxotungstate

The fabrication, structure, electrochemical properties, and electrocatalytic properties of a manganese(III)-substituted Dawson-type phosphopolyoxotungstate, alpha 2-K7P2W17O61(Mn3+.OH2).12H2O (P2W17Mn), entrapped in polypyrrole (PPy) film have been studied. The hybrid film was prepared by potentiostatic polymerization from aqueous solution containing 20 mM pyrrole (Py) and 2 mM P2W17Mn on a pyrolytic graphite (PG) surface. Chronoamperometry, Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry were used to monitor and characterize the growth, structure, and properties of the film. The chronoamperometric curve shows that P2W17Mn can catalyze the electrochemical polymerization of Py. The Raman spectrum suggests that the doped P2W17Mn has little effect on the structure of PPy film. The P2W17Mn/PPy film exhibits good voltammetric response in both the acidic aqueous and acetonitrile solutions. At pH 1.0, the molar ratio of pyrrole to P2W17Mn7- in the hybrid film is 21.1:1, quite close to the expected ratio of 21.2:1 for a PPy film with a +0.33 oxidation level per pyrrole moiety and doped with an anion with a charge of 7. The influence of solution pH on P2W17Mn7- in the film is much smaller than that in the aqueous solution. During the potential scanning in 0.1 M LiClO4 acetonitrile solution, P2W17Mn7- was slowly released from the hybrid film and electrolyte ions (Li+ and ClO4-) were inserted into the film. This was identified by cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible spectroscopy. Additionally, the hybrid film can effectively catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and nitrite.     

Fe_2O_3掺杂TiO_2薄膜对甲基紫溶液光催化降解

甲基紫是一种相当稳定的有机物 ,能被 Ti O2 光催化降解 .本文采用 sol-gel工艺在玻璃表面制得了均匀透明的 Ti O2 薄膜 ,研究了热处理温度、涂覆层数、掺杂 Fe2 O3 等制备工艺 ,以及溶液 p H值和助催化剂H2 O2 等因素对 Ti O2 薄膜的光催化性能和稳定性的影响 .结果表明 ,掺 Fe2 O3 的 Ti O2 薄膜对甲基紫的降解率明显优于未掺 Fe2 O3 的 Ti O2 薄膜 .     

紫外光下纳米TiO2 薄膜亲水性机理的电化学研究

The nanometer films of TiO2 were prepared by sol-gel method on ITO（Indium-tin oxide,SnO2:In） substrate. The TiO2 film was the anatase phase with a particle size of 100 nm from the measurements of X-ray diffraction and AFM（Atomic-Force-Microscope）. Electrochemical characteristics of ITO/ TiO2 electrode under UV（ultraviolet）irradiation were investigated using the method of cyclic voltammetry. A new oxidative peak was observed at 0.035 V when the TiO2 electrode was irradiated by 253.7 nm UV light for a certain time. The peak current increased with the irradiation time. It was assumed that the new oxidative peak resulted from Ti3+,which was formed during the UV illumination. The changes of hydrophilicity of the TiO2 thin film on ITO under UV light were also observed. It was assumed that the changes of hydrophilicity of the films may be related with the formation of Ti3+ on the surface when the film was irradiated by UV light.     

铝基板的界面扩散对薄膜型TiO2光催化活性的影响

以钛酸四丁酯为前驱体, 采用溶胶-凝胶法在铝基板表面制备了纳米晶TiO2薄膜. 运用XRD、SEM和XPS对制得的薄膜进行表征, 并测试了薄膜光催化降解亚甲基蓝(MB)的活性. 结果表明, TiO2薄膜样品在450 ℃焙烧30 min后, 晶粒排列比较致密, 粒径为10-20 nm, 并与铝基板紧密结合; 薄膜与铝基板发生了明显的界面扩散, 薄膜中的Al元素来自铝基板的界面扩散, 且界面层很宽, 扩散层厚度约为75 nm; 界面扩散的发生直接导致了TiO2薄膜的光催化活性下降. 但随着薄膜厚度增加, 铝基板对TiO2薄膜降解亚甲基蓝催化活性的影响不断减小.     

Ethanol-assisted graphene oxide-based thin film formation at pentane-water interface

Graphene oxide (GO) can be viewed as an amphiphilic soft material, which form thin films at organic solvent-water interfaces. However, organic solvent evaporation provides little driving force, which results in slow GO transfer in aqueous phase, thus dawdling GO film formation processes for various potential applications. We present an ethanol-assisted self-assembly method for the quick formation of GO or GO-based composite thin films with tunable composition, transmittance, and surface resistivity at pentane-water interface. The thickness of pure GO and reduced GO (rGO) films ranging from ~1 nm to more than 10 nm can be controlled by the concentration of GO in bulk solution. The transmittance of rGO films can be tuned from 72% to 97% at 550 nm while the surface resistivity changes from 8.3 to 464.6 kΩ sq(-1). Ethanol is essential for achieving quick formation of GO thin films. When ethanol is injected into GO aqueous dispersion, it serves as a nonsolvent, compromising the stability of GO and providing driving force to allow GO sheets aggregate at the water-pentane interface. On the other hand, neither the evaporation of pentane nor the mixing between ethanol and water provides sufficient driving forces to allow noteworthy amount of GO sheets to migrate from the bulk aqueous phase to the interface. This method can also be extended to prepare GO-based composites thin films with tunable composition, such as GO/single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composite thin films investigated in this work. Reduced GO/SWCNT composite films show much lower surface resistivity compared to pure rGO thin films. This ethanol-assisted self-assembly method opens opportunities to design and fabricate new functional GO-based hybrid materials for various potential applications.     

(Ni-Mo)/TiO2纳米薄膜光催化降解刚果红的性能与机理

用恒电流复合电沉积方法制备(Ni-Mo)/TiO2薄膜,以扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼(Raman)光谱和紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-VisDRS)对薄膜的表面形貌、晶相结构和光谱特性进行了表征,以刚果红为模拟污染物对薄膜的光催化性能进行了测定,并讨论了刚果红溶液的pH值对薄膜光催化活性的影响.采用循环伏安技术和向溶液中加入活性物种捕获剂的方法对薄膜光催化降解机理进行了探索.结果表明:(Ni-Mo)/TiO2薄膜是由粒径为50-100nmTiO2纳米粒子相和纳米晶Ni-Mo固溶体相构成的复合薄膜.薄膜具有较高的光催化活性,卤钨灯照射80min后,复合薄膜光催化刚果红的降解率是多孔TiO2(DegussaP25)/ITO(氧化铟锡)纳米薄膜的2.43倍.(Ni-Mo)/TiO2薄膜光催化活性的提高主要归因于薄膜层中有效形成的(Ni-Mo)/TiO2异质结和良好的电子通道,以及Ni-Mo纳米晶合金对溶解氧和激发电子还原反应的催化作用.分别给出了在紫外和可见光下薄膜光催化降解刚果红的反应机理.     

TiO2 phytate films as hosts and conduits for cytochrome c electrochemistry

Cytochrome c is accumulated into a film of TiO(2) nanoparticles and phytate by adsorption from an aqueous solution into the mesoporous structure. Stable voltammetric responses and high concentrations of redox protein within the TiO(2) phytate layer can be achieved. Two types of electrode systems are reported with (i) the modified TiO(2) phytate film between electrode and aqueous solution phase and (ii) the modified TiO(2) phytate film buried under a porous gold electrode ('porotrode'). The electrical conductivity of TiO(2) phytate films is measured and compared in the dry and in the wet state. Although in the dry state essentially insulating, the TiO(2) phytate film turns into an electrical conductor (with approximately 4 Omega cm specific resistivity assuming ohmic behaviour) when immersed in aqueous 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution at pH 7. The redox protein cytochrome c is therefore directly connected to the electrode via diffusion and migration of electrons in the three dimensional mesoporous TiO(2) phytate host structure. Electron transfer from cytochrome c to TiO(2) is proposed to be the rate-determining step for this conduction mechanism.     

Ta2O5/Si薄膜界面结构及光催化活性

利用溶胶-凝胶法和旋转镀膜法在单晶Si(110)基底上制备了Ta2O5光催化剂薄膜. 薄膜颗粒的晶粒度和大小随着热处理温度的升高而增加. 利用扫描俄歇电子能谱(AES)的表面成分分析、深度剖析和线形分析技术研究了热处理温度对Ta2O5/Si 样品膜层和基底的界面化学状态和相互作用的影响规律. 研究表明, 在700 ℃以下热处理时, Ta2O5/Si薄膜界面处以扩散作用为主;在800 ℃高温热处理时,在界面扩散的同时也引发界面反应, 生成了SiO2物种, 界面扩散和界面反应会对薄膜和基底元素的化学价态发生影响. 在紫外光下降解水杨酸的光催化活性的研究表明, 在600 ℃下焙烧制备的Ta2O5/Si薄膜具有与TiO2/Si薄膜相当的光催化活性.     

掺杂Sb对纳米TiO2薄膜的超亲水性和微结构的影响

用溶胶-凝胶法将纳米TiO2:Sb薄膜沉积在玻璃基板上.研究了掺杂浓度对薄膜的光致超亲水性、薄膜结构和晶相转变的影响.结果表明,纯TiO2薄膜中， TiO2不仅以无定型态存在，而且还以板钛矿和锐钛矿的形式存在.掺杂Sb提高了TiO2由无定型向板钛矿和锐钛矿转变的速率.掺入适量的Sb后， TiO2薄膜表现出更好的光致超亲水性.由XRD谱可算出薄膜的晶粒大小为13.3～20.0 nm.     

TiO2光致亲水性及其在免处理版材中的应用研究

用溶胶-凝胶法制备了SiO₂和TiO₂薄膜,并涂覆于玻璃基片上,研究了TiO₂薄膜在紫外光照射下其超亲水性能的变化与光照时间的关系,分析了SiO₂薄膜对覆于其上的TiO₂薄膜的耐摩擦性能的影响.结果表明:TiO₂薄膜经紫外光照射后,疏水性急剧降低,显示亲水性能,与水的接触角可达到5°以下;当其覆膜于载玻片上后,具有良好的耐摩擦性和耐候性;TiO₂薄膜的超亲水性使其有望成为一种新型的环保可重复利用的印刷版材.