Microwave Activation of Processes in Mesopores: The Thiourea Electrooxidation at Mesoporous Platinum

In situ microwave activation is applied to the electrochemical oxidation of thiourea at low surface area (polished polycrystalline) and at high surface area (electrodeposited mesoporous platinum coated) platinum microelectrodes. The one electron oxidation of thiourea to formamidine disulfide is monitored as a function of the different activation parameters. In the absence of microwaves (ambient temperature, low mass transport) increasing the surface area (roughness) increases the thiourea oxidation response predominantly due to adsorption effects. In the presence of high microwave intensities, high mass transport and thermal effects further increase the oxidation current at mesoporous platinum. The most effective thickness of the mesoporous platinum film for the thiourea oxidation process is estimated as 3 μm independent of electrode diameter, temperature, or mass transport effects.     

Production and characterization of refractive index gratings in high-birefringence fibre optics

In this work, we report production and modelling of both Bragg gratings and rocking filters in high birefringence fibre optics. Bragg gratings are produced by UV (257.0 nm) external interferometric exposition of a frequency-doubled Ar⁺ ion laser, whereas for rocking filters formation the visible Ar⁺ ion laser lines in 488.0 and 514.5 nm are used in an internal method. The spectral characteristics due to the birefringence properties are studied through numerical methods and experimental techniques. The spectral responsivity of the structures under temperature changes and stress application is presented.     

Large signal performance of micromachined silicon inductive microphones

A mathematical model for the open-circuit output voltage of a micromachined silicon inductive microphone is presented. The model, basically a sine-series function, can easily yield closed-form expressions for the amplitudes of the output components resulting from a multisinusoidal input acoustic pressure. The special case of an equal-amplitude two-tone acoustic pressure input is considered in detail. The results show that, the microphone generates both even and odd-order harmonic and intermodulation products.     

Application of enzyme-field effect transistor sensor arrays as detectors in a flow-injection analysis system for simultaneous monitoring of medium components. Part II. Monitoring of cultivation processes

Glucose, maltose, sucrose, lactose, ethanol and urea concentrations were monitored simultaneously during the cultivation of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae by means of enzyme field effect transistors (EnFETs) applying glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), maltase (MAL)/GDH, invertase (INV)/GDH, β-galactosidase (β-GAL)/galactosedehydrogenase (GALDH), alcoholdehydrogenase (ADH)/aldehydedehydrogenase (ALDH), and urease. These enzymes were (co)immobilized on the pH sensitive gates of an eight-FET array. The FET array was integrated in a commercial FIA system.     

Fiber Optical Bragg Grating Refractometer

We have demonstrated an evanescent field refractive indexfiber sensor comprising a 42-mm Bragg grating in an etched fiber together with a tunable Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) laser. Characterization of different aqueous sucrose solutions resulted in a resolution of roughly 10 mM sucrose. The sensor in the presented form has a theoretical sensitivity of higher than 10 5 refractive index unit (riu) in a refractive index region close to the cladding index of the fiber. However, the technique allows for an even higher sensitivity than 10 6 riu with a proper signal processing scheme.     

Oscillation condition for a series piezoelectric sensor. Application to the determination of urease activity in plant seeds

The oscillating conditions for a series piezoelectric quartz crystal (SPQC) are proposed and verified experimentally. The influence of the cell constant and oscillator phase on the oscillational ability of the SPQC was investigated. It is shown that the SPQC possesses excellent oscillational ability in low or high conductivity solutions, but in solution of intermediate conductivity, the oscillational ability decreases with increasing oscillator phase or decreasing cell constant, sometimes resulting in a cease-to-oscillate zone. The SPQC was applied to determine the urease activity in plant seeds with a detection limit of 0.004 U ml⁻¹, based on the change in conductivity.     

重要传感材料荧光共轭聚合物PPESO3的一种新的简便合成路线

本文提出了一种新的简便得多的合成路线, 既避免了BBr3的使用, 又简化了反应步骤, 使PPESO3的合成简单易行, 为更广泛地对其进行研究与应用提供了便利条件. 此外, 本文还研究了PPESO3与非离子表面活性剂(聚乙烯吡咯烷酮, PVP)之间的相互作用, 结果表明, PVP与PPESO3形成了稳定的络合体, 可以有效地打破聚合物在水溶液中的聚集, 提高荧光量子产率.     

Spectrophotometric determination of total phenolics by solvent extraction and sorbent extraction optosensing using flow injection methodology

Flow injection analysis (FIA) procedures for the Spectrophotometric determination of phenol involving in-line concentration by solvent and sorbent extraction have been developed. The imine product formed in the reaction between phenol and 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) is either extracted into chloroform (solvent extraction) or is temporarily retained on C₁₈-modified silica material contained in a microcolumn (sorbent extraction). In the latter case two variants of detection have been used namely the Spectrophotometric measurement of the methanolic eluent containing the concentrated dye and at-column optosensing of the retained reaction product followed by methanol elution to maintain reversibility of the process. In the solvent extraction procedure a 10-fold increase of sensitivity compared to the common FIA method without extraction is achieved but no corresponding improvement in detectability is observed. Under optimized conditions the detection limit amounts to 8 μg l⁻¹. Using sorbent extraction methodology, high concentration factors can be obtained when large sample volumes are used. The only limitation in getting correspondingly lower detection limits are an increasingly high and variable blank value with sampling volume. The detection limits obtained for measurement of the absorbance in the eluent and on-column optosensing are 11 μg l⁻¹ and 0.4 μg l⁻¹, respectively. A study of the extractability of various phenol derivates using both solvent and sorbent extraction revealed lower relative response rates compared to the FIA method without extraction. Phenolics that possess an additional acidic group are present in ionized form at the high pH of the assay and are not extractable at all.     

A Siloxane Homopolymer with Interacting Ferrocenes as a New Material for the Preparation of Sensors Based on the Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide

The electrochemical characterization of a hydrogen peroxide sensor based on a ferrocene‐containing polymer electrochemically deposited onto a platinum electrode is described. The redox polymer consists of a siloxane‐based homopolymer, with pendant electronically communicated ferrocenyl moieties. The electrodes were used as the transducer for glucose and lactate‐sensing enzyme sensors. Amperometric biosensors were prepared by immobilization of glucose oxidase (Gox) or lactate oxidase (Lox) onto these modified electrodes. The steady‐state amperometric response of the sensors is investigated as a function of the applied potential and substrate concentration. Interferences, sensitivity and stability of the sensors were also studied.