Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Sulfur Containing Amino Acids at Renewable Ni‐Powder Doped Carbon Ceramic Electrode: Application to Amperometric Detection L‐Cystine,L‐Cysteine and L‐Methionine

A sol‐gel technique was used here to prepare a renewable carbon ceramic electrode modified with nickel powder. Cyclic voltammograms of the resulting modified electrode show stable and a well defined redox couple due to Ni(II)/Ni(III) system with surface confined characteristics. The modified electrode shows excellent catalytic activity toward L ‐cystine, L ‐cysteine and L ‐methionine oxidation at reduced overpotential in alkaline solutions. In addition the antifouling properties at the modified electrode toward the above analytes and their oxidation products increases the reproducibility of results. L ‐cystine, L ‐cysteine and L ‐methionine were determined chronoamperometricaly at the surface of this modified electrode at pH range 9–13. Under the optimized conditions the calibration curves are linear in the concentration range 1–450 μM, 2–90 μM and 0.2–75 μM for L ‐cystine, L ‐methionine and L ‐cysteine determination, respectively. The detection limit and sensitivity were 0.64 μM, 3.8 nA/ μM for L ‐cystine, 2 μM, 5.6 nA/ μM for L ‐methionine and 0.2 μM and 8.1 nA/μM for L ‐cysteine. The advantageous of this modified electrode is high response, good stability and reproducibility, excellent catalytic activity for oxidation inert molecules at reduced overpotential and possibility of regeneration of the electrode surface by potential cycling for 5 minutes. Furthermore, the modified electrode has been prepared without using specific reagents. This sensor can be used as an amperometric detector for disulfides detection in chromatographic or flow systems.     

Determination of Iodide and Idoxuridine at a Glutaraldehyde‐Cross‐Linked Poly‐L‐Lysine Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

The detection limit (about 0.017 μg mL^?1) for voltammetric determination of iodide (peak at +0.87 V vs. Ag/AgCl at pH 2) at a glutaraldehyde‐cross‐linked poly‐L ‐lysine modified glassy carbon electrode involving oxidation to iodine was found to be several orders of magnitude lower than that for the voltammetric determination on a bare glassy carbon electrode. This method was applied successfully to the determination of iodide in two medicinal formulations. Idoxuridine was determined indirectly at the same electrode by accumulating it first at ?0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl. At this potential the C? I bond in the adsorbed idoxuridine is reduced giving iodide, which is then determined at the modified electrode. The method was successfully applied to the determination of idoxuridine in a urine sample.     

Direct Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Cysteine and Cystine Based on Nafion/Lead Oxide‐Manganese Oxide Combined Catalyst

This article reports direct electrocatalytic oxidation of cysteine (CySH) and cystine (CyS‐SCy) at an inexpensive Nafion/lead oxide‐manganese oxide combined catalyst in physiological pH. The synthesized lead oxide‐manganese oxide material is simply mixed with Nafion in the form of cast solution and modified on a disposable screen‐printed carbon electrode (designated as SPE/Nf‐PMO) for biosensing application. Electrochemical study with a standard redox couple of quinone/hydroquinone demonstrates an enhanced current response at the combined catalyst compared to its individual component. Surface characterization further provides information regarding the structural morphology of the catalyst to its catalytic performance. Direct electrocatalytic oxidation signals are observed at +0.75 and +1.20 V vs. Ag/AgCl for cysteine and cystine, respectively, at the SPE/Nf‐PMO. To extend the applicability, we further apply the proposed system for the detection of cysteine and cystine by flow injection analysis (FIA). Under optimized conditions, the detection limit (S/N=3) is 0.43 μM and 0.33 μM for cysteine and cystine, respectively.     

Electrochemical Preparation of Poly(Malachite Green) Film Modified Nafion‐Coated Glassy Carbon Electrode and Its Electrocatalytic Behavior Towards NADH,Dopamine and Ascorbic Acid

Poly(malachite green) film modified Nafion‐coated glassy carbon electrodes have been prepared by potentiodynamic cycling in malachite green solution. The pH of polymerisation solution has only minor effect on film formation. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) was used to monitor the growth of the poly(malachite green) film. Cyclic voltammogram of the poly(malachite green) film shows a redox couple with well‐defined peaks. The redox response of the modified electrode was found to be depending on the pH of the contacting solution. The peak potentials were shifted to a less positive region with increasing pH and the dependence of the peak potential was found to be 56 mV per pH unit. The electrocatalytic behavior of poly(malachite green) film modified Nafion‐coated glassy carbon electrodes was tested towards oxidation of NADH, dopamine, and ascorbic acid. The oxidation of dopamine and ascorbic acid occurred at less positive potential on poly(malachite green) film compared to bare glassy carbon electrode. In the case of NADH, the overpotential was reduced substantially on modified electrode. Finally, the feasibility of utilizing poly(malachite green) film electrode in analytical estimation of ascorbic acid was demonstrated in flow injection analysis.     

Silica‐modified Electrodes for Electrochemical Detection of Malachite Green

New silica‐modified glassy carbon electrodes prepared with three different sorts of ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) were characterized and tested for the electrochemical detection of Malachite Green (MG). The electrodes were prepared by drop casting using silica suspensions and, for stability sake, a Nafion coating was deposited on the electrode top by the same technique. Square wave anodic stripping voltammetry was used to investigate the effect of various experimental parameters (deposition time, solution pH, silica type and concentration) on the performance of the modified electrodes. The best electrode (GC/MCM‐41‐NH₂/Nafion) with detection limit 0.36 μM, sensitivity 0.164±0.003 A/M; linear domain 1–6 μM was applied to detect MG in a commercial product commonly used as biocide in aquaria for ornamental fish.     

Preparation and Electrochemical Characterization of an Enzyme Electrode Based on Catalase Immobilized onto a Multiwall Carbon Nanotube‐Thionine Film

The present study was aimed at investigating the use of a mixture multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and thionine (Th) dye in designing of a thionine‐based electrochemical biosensor containing catalase (Ct) enzyme (MWCNT‐Nafion‐Th/Ct) onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The effects of pH, MWCNT concentration and thionine concentration on electrochemical response were explored for optimum analytical performance. The modified electrode exhibited a pair of well‐defined, quasi‐reversible peaks at formal potential (E^o′) = ‐0.218 ± 0.017 V vs. Ag/AgCl corresponding to the Th_ox/Th_red redox couples in the presence of MWCNT, Nafion, and Ct. The electrochemical parameters, including charge‐transfer coefficient (0.36), and apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (4.28 ± 0.26 s^?1) were determined. Using differential pulse voltammetry, the prepared enzyme electrode exhibited a linear response to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the range of 10.0‐100.0 μM with a detection limit 8.7 μM and a sensitivity of 6051.0 μA mM^?1 cm^?2.     

Square‐Wave Voltammetric Detection of Dopamine at a Copper‐(3‐Mercaptopropyl) Trimethoxy Silane Complex Modified Electrode

Square‐wave voltammetric detection of dopamine was studied at a copper (Cu)‐(3‐mercaptopropyl) trimethoxy silane (MPS)‐complex modified electrode (Cu‐MPS). The modification of the electrode was based on the attachment of MPS onto an electrochemically activated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by the interaction between methoxy silane groups of MPS and surface hydroxyl groups and followed by the complexation of copper with the thiol groups of MPS. The surface of the modified electrode was further coated by a thin layer of Nafion film. The surface of the Nafion coated MPS‐Cu complex modified electrode (Nafion/Cu‐MPS) was characterized using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectrometry. The modified electrode exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of dopamine, which was oxidized at a reduced potential of +0.35 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) at a wider pH range. Various experimental parameters, such as the amount of copper, the pH, and the temperature were optimized. A linear calibration plot was obtained in the concentration range between 8.0×10^?8 M and 5.0×10^?6 M and the detection limit was determined to be 5.0×10^?8 M. The other common biological compounds including ascorbic acid did not interfere and the modified electrode showed an excellent specificity to the detection of dopamine. The Nafion/Cu‐MPS modified electrode can be used for about 2 months without any significant loss in sensitivity.     

Photoinduced electron transfer reactions at methylene blue adsorbed nafion and clay coated electrodes

Nafion and montmorillonite clay adsorbed methylene blue coated onto platinum electrode were prepared. These dye modified electrodes were used as photoelectrodes in a photogalvanic cell in the presence of Fe²⁺ ions. The photoelectrochemical investigations showed that the dye coated electrodes behaved as cathode upon irradiation whereas the plain platinum electrode dipped in a homogeneous solution containing methylene blue and Fe²⁺ ions behaved as anode. It is suggested that the intermediate complex formed between the photoreduced methylene blue and ferric ion lead to the reductive reaction at the coated electrode.     

An Arrayed Micro‐glutamate Sensor Probe Integrated with On‐probe Ag/AgCl Reference and Counter Electrodes

Complete all‐in‐one multi‐arrayed glutamate (Glut) sensors have been constructed on a silicon‐based micromachined probe composed of micro‐platinum (Pt) working electrodes, a micro‐silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrode (RE), and a micro‐Pt counter electrode (CE). The OCP shift of the electrodeposited Ag/AgCl on‐probe micro‐reference electrode compared with a Ag/AgCl wire is <0.1 mV/h. The composition ratio of Ag, Cl, and Pt on the electrodeposited on‐probe micro‐reference electrode is observed to be 1.00 : 0.48 : 0.02 analyzed by EDS. The miniaturized amperometric Glut biosensors were constructed on working electrode sites (electrode area: ∼8.5×10⁻⁵ cm²) of the microprobe modified with glutamate oxidase (GlutOx) enzyme layers for the selective, fast, and continuous detection of L‐glutamate. The sensor selectivity towards common electroactive interferents has been improved significantly by coating the electrode surface with perm‐selective polymer layers, overoxidized polypyrrole (PPY) and Nafion®. The sensitivity, detection range, and response time of the proposed all‐in‐one Glut biosensors are 204.7±5.8 nA μM⁻¹ cm⁻² (N=5), 4.99–109 μM, and 2.7±0.3 sec, respectively and no interferent signals of AA and DA were observed. The sensor can be reused over 19 times of continuous repetitive operation (total measurement time: ∼4 hours) and the sensor sensitivity can retain up to four weeks of storage.     

Preparation and Characterization of a Tin Pentacyanonitrosylferrate‐Modified Carbon Ceramic Electrode: Application to Electrocatalytic Oxidation and Amperometric Detection of L‐Cysteine

The sol‐gel technique was used to construct tin pentacyanonitrosylferrate (SnPCNF) modified composite carbon ceramic electrode (CCE). This involves two steps: construction of CCE containing metallic Sn powder and then electrochemical creating of SnPCNF on the surface of CCE. The SnPCNF modified CCE (SnPCNFlCCE) was characterized by energy‐dispersive X‐ray (EDX), FTIR and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The SnPCNF film showed electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of L ‐cysteine. A linear calibration plot was obtained over the L ‐cysteine concentration range 1–51 μM using chronoamperometry. L ‐cysteine was determined amperometrically at the surface of this modified electrode. The detection limit (for a signal to noise of 3) and sensitivity were found to be 0.62 μM and 126 μA/mM, respectively.     

Preparation and Electrochemical Behaviour of Silver Pentacyanonitrosylferrate Film Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode and Its Electrocatalytic Oxidation to L‐cysteine

A glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with silver pentacyanonitrosylferrate (AgPCNF) film as a redox mediator was fabricated. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the redox property of AgPCNF modified electrode. The modified electrode showed a well‐defined redox couple due to [Ag^IFe^III/II(CN)₅NO]^1‐/2‐system. The effects of scan rates, supporting electrolytes and solution pHs were studied on the electrochemical behavior of the modified electrode. The feasibility of using the AgPCNF modified electrode to measure L ‐cysteine was investigated. It showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of L ‐cysteine and the anodic currents were proportional to the L ‐cysteine concentration in the range of 0.1 μM to 20 μM, the linear regression equation is I_pa(μA) = ‐68.58 ‐ 5.78C_{L ‐cysteine} (μM), with a correlation coefficient 0.998 for N = 23. The detection limit was down to 3.5 × 10^‐8 M (three times the ratio of signal to noise).     

Electrocatalytic Oxidation of NADH by Oxidized s‐Adenosyl‐L‐Methionine (SAMe): Application to NADH and SAMe Determinations

s‐Adenosyl‐L ‐methionine (SAMe) is an adenosine analogue with therapeutical activity against affective disorders and liver dysfunctions. It can be oxidized on graphite electrode yielding a strongly adsorbed electroactive oxidation product for which a quinone‐imine structure is proposed. This compound is capable of electrocatalyzing the NADH oxidation at low potentials, lowering the overvoltage by about 300 mV. An amperometric method for NADH determination at +0.1 V (Ag|AgCl|KCl_sat) is developed using an oxidized‐SAMe‐modified electrode in pH 9. Linear calibration plots were obtained with a detection limit of 2.4 nM. The electrode response time and the relative standard deviation of the slope of the calibration plot for 5 different modified electrodes were 12 s and 5.6% respectively. The catalytic scheme also provides the first method to determine SAMe itself by adsorptive differential pulse voltammetry. The linear range was found to be 42.4–424 nM with a reproducibility of 6.9%. The method was applied to SAMe determination in a pharmaceutical formulation.     

Electropreparation of Poly(benzophenone‐4) Film Modified Electrode and Its Electrocatalytic Behavior Towards Dopamine,Ascorbic Acid and Nitrite

The oxidation of benzophenone‐4 (2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzophenone‐5‐sulfonic acid) at glassy carbon electrode gives rise to stable redox active electropolymerized film during repetitive potential cycling between 0 to 1.3 V (Ag/AgCl). Cyclic voltammogram of poly(benzophenone‐4) film shows a redox couple with well‐defined peaks. The redox response of the modified electrode was found to be depending on the pH of the contacting solution. The peak potentials were shifted to a less positive region with increasing pH and the dependence of the peak potential was found to be 51 mV/pH. The electrocatalytic behavior of poly(benzophenone‐4) film modified electrode towards oxidation of dopamine, ascorbic acid and reduction of nitrite was investigated. The oxidation of dopamine and ascorbic acid occurred at less positive potential on poly(benzophenone‐4) film compared to bare glassy carbon electrode. For dopamine, the overpotential was reduced about 180 mV. Feasibility of utilizing poly(benzophenone‐4) film coated electrode in analytical estimation of dopamine, ascorbic acid and nitrite was also demonstrated.     

Disposable Injection‐Moulded Cell‐on‐a‐Chip Microfluidic Devices with Integrated Conducting Polymer Electrodes for On‐Line Voltammetric and Electrochemiluminescence Detection

This work reports the construction and characterization of plastic electrochemical micro‐flow‐cells with integrated injection‐moulded polymer electrodes. The three electrodes (working, auxiliary, and reference) were fabricated by injection‐moulding from a conducting grade of polystyrene loaded with carbon fibers. On‐chip reference electrodes were prepared by coating one of the conducting polymer electrodes with a Ag/AgCl layer (implemented either by e‐beam evaporation of Ag followed by electrochemical formation of AgCl or by applying a Ag/AgCl paste). Working electrodes were either polymer electrodes coated with Au by e‐beam evaporation or bare conducting polymer electrodes. The electrodes were integrated into the micro‐flow‐cells by an over‐moulding process followed by ultrasonic welding. The devices were characterized by optical and electrochemical techniques. Studies by cyclic voltammetry (CV), anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) demonstrate ‘proof–of‐principle’ of the micro‐flow‐cells as electrochemical sensors.     

Carbon Nanotube‐Adsorbed Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes as Coating for Electrochemical Sensors for Sulfhydryl Compounds

A new method to modify electrodes with carbon nanotubes (CNT) was developed. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were adsorbed on the electrospun nylon‐6 nanofibrous membranes (Ny‐6‐NFM) and used as a coating to modify conventional glassy carbon electrodes. The modified electrode was designed for the amperometric detection of sulfhydryl compounds with the potential held at +0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The modified electrode showed a linear response for cysteine up to 0.4 mM (R²=0.997), with a sensitivity of 5.1 µA/mM and a detection limit of 15 µM. Other sulfhydryl compounds showed similar results. After use, the Ny‐6‐NFM was easily peeled off, leaving the bare electrode surface back to its original electrochemical behaviour. This is the first attempt to use a disposable membrane functionalized with MWNT for electroanalytical purposes.     

Ormosil Encapsulated Pyrroloquinoline Quinone‐Modified Electrochemical Sensor for Thiols

An organically modified sol‐gel glass (ORMOSIL) encapsulating pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)‐modified electrode for the rapid, sensitive and simple determination of thiol‐containing compounds such as cysteine and glutathione is reported. The effect of applied potential, nature of thiol compound and pH on the response of the sensor was examined and optimum conditions were determined. The electrochemical responses and detection limits were found to be sensitive to the nature of thiols and pH. The electrochemical responses for cysteine and glutathione at an applied potential of ?0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) were found to be linear with detection limits of 18 nM for cysteine and 36 nM for glutathione at pH 3.5, whereas the detection limits at pH 8.5 were 0.5 μM for cysteine and 1 μM for glutathione. The electrode retained 95% of the original response for 7 days when stored at 4 °C. The ORMOSIL‐encapsulated PQQ was also characterized by spectrophotometry. The absorbance measurement using 5,5′‐dithiobis(2‐nitrobenzoic acid) at 412 nm justify the PQQ‐mediated oxidation of glutathione whereas fluorescence measurements (excitation wavelength=380 nm; emission wavelength=480 nm) justify the successful encapsulation of PQQ in ORMOSIL matrix.     

Microliter Volume Determination of Cosmetic Mercury with a Partially Crosslinked Poly(4‐vinylpyridine) Modified Screen‐Printed Three‐Electrode Portable Assembly

We successfully demonstrated microliter (μL) volume determination of Mercury (Hg) using an in‐built screen‐printed three electrodes containing partially crosslinked poly(4‐vinlylpyridine) (designated as pcPVP) modified carbon‐working, carbon‐counter, and Ag⁺‐quasireference electrodes (SPE/pcPVP) in a pH 4 acetate buffer solution with 2 M KCl by using the square wave anodic stripping voltammetric (SWASV) technique. Instrumental and solution phase conditions were systematically optimized. Experiments were carried out by simply placing a 500 μL‐droplet of Hg containing real sample mixed with the base electrolyte on the SPE/pcPVP surface. The SPE/Ag⁺ quasi‐reference system shifted the Hg‐SWASV detection potential ca. 250 mV positive, but the quantitative current values were appreciably similar to that of a standard Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Under optimal condition, the calibration graph is linear in the window of 100–1000 ppb of the Hg droplet system with a detection limit of 69.5 ppb (S/N=3). Finally real sample assays were demonstrated for prohibited cosmetic Hg containing skin‐lightening agents in parallel with ICP‐OES measurements.     

Development of an Amperometric Biosensor for β‐N‐Oxalyl‐L‐α,β‐Diaminopropionic Acid (β‐ODAP)

An amperometric method for the determination of the neurotoxic amino acid β‐N‐oxalyl‐L ‐α,β‐diaminopropionic acid (β‐ODAP) using a screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) is reported. The electrode material was bulk‐modified with manganese dioxide and used as a detector in flow injection analysis (FIA). The enzyme glutamate oxidase (GlOx) was immobilized in a Nafion‐film on the electrode surface. The performance of the biosensor was optimized using glutamate as an analyte. Optimum parameters were found as: operational potential 440 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl), flow rate 0.2 mL min^?1, and carrier composition 0.1 mol L^?1 phosphate buffer (pH 7.75). The same conditions were used for the determination of β‐ODAP. The signal was linear within the concentration range 53–855 μmol L^?1 glutamate and 195–1950 μmol L^?1 β‐ODAP. Detection limits (as 3σ value) for both analytes were 9.12 and 111.0 μmol L^?1, respectively, with corresponding relative standard deviations of 3.3 and 4.5%. The biosensor retained more than 73% of its activity after 40 days of on‐line use.     

Determination of Copper in the Presence of Various Amounts of Arsenic with L‐Cysteine Modified Gold Electrodes

An L ‐cysteine modified gold electrode for the determination of copper in the presence of various amounts of arsenic with anodic stripping voltammetry has been studied. The electrode was fabricated by immersing a gold electrode in an ethanol solution of 5mM L ‐cysteine for 60 min. Various parameters, such as the effect of different supporting electrolytes, the pH of the electrolyte and the deposition potential were investigated. Under optimum conditions, copper was accumulated at ?0.3 V (vs. SEC) for 60 s in 0.1 M phosphate buffer pH 5.0 in the presence of different amounts of arsenic. Essentially the same sensitivities (0.33±0.001 μA/μM) and limits of detection (0.13±0.002 μM) of copper were obtained with various amount of arsenic in the range 2 μM to 20 μM.     

Fe(CN)64−‐Doped‐Glutaraldehyde‐Cross‐Linked Poly‐L‐Lysine Film Electrode. Part 2: Stability Improvement and Selective Detection of Dopamine in the Presence of Ascorbic Acid

Highly stable Nafion‐covered hexacyanoferrate‐doped‐glutaraldehyde‐cross‐linked poly‐L ‐lysine (PLL‐GA‐Fe(CN)₆^4?/Naf) film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), for the selective detection of dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA), was prepared by first ion‐exchanging Fe(CN)₆^4? into PLL‐GA coating on GCE then sealing it with a Nafion outer layer. The Nafion over layer is crucial in preventing leaching of Fe(CN)₆^4? ions from the inner layer. The first layer was acting as electrocatalyst for DA oxidation and the outer coating acted as discriminating layer for selective permeation of DA in the presence of interfering anionic species. More than 90% of the initial response was retained after coating with the Nafion protecting layer compared to a huge loss (>60%) without Nafion outer layer. 5% Nafion coating was identified as optimum thickness for the selective detection of DA in the presence of AA.