Carbon nanotube-modified electrodes for electrochemical DNA-sensors

Glassy-carbon electrodes (GCEs) are modified with preoxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). According to the data of atomic force microscopy, the layers of CNTs on GCEs possess a homogeneous nanostructurized surface. The voltammetric properties of a GCE/CNT depend on the modifier load. Guanine and deoxyguanosine monophosphate are strongly adsorbed on GCE/CNT and oxidized at +690 and +930 mV (pH 7.0), respectively. The oxidation current of guanine DNA nucleotides adsorbed on a GCE/CNT is significantly higher for the thermally denaturated biopolymer than for the native one. Our results are of interest for the development of sensors based on the electrochemical properties of nucleic acids.     

Effect of pre-treatment on the surface and electrochemical properties of screen-printed carbon paste electrodes

The effect of various electrochemical pre-treatment methods on the surface and electrochemical properties of screen-printed carbon paste electrodes (SPCE) prepared with three different commercial products was examined. It was observed that a positively charged redox couple, e.g., hexaammineruthenium(III), exhibited quasi-reversible behavior at the untreated SPCE. However, the cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of the SPCE prepared with general-purpose carbon inks did not exhibit clear redox peaks to other representative redox couples [e.g., hexacyanoferrate(III), hexachloroiridate(IV), dopamine, and hydroquinone] without activation. Electrochemical pre-treatment methods were sought in four different aqueous solutions, i.e., sulfuric acid, potassium chloride, sodium hydrogencarbonate, and sodium carbonate, applying various activation potentials. It was found that the pre-treatment procedure in saturated Na2CO3 solution at 1.2 V provides a mild and effective condition for activating the SPCE. By measuring the water contact angles at the SPCE surfaces and recording their SEM images, it was confirmed that the electrochemical pre-treatment effectively removes the organic binders from the surface carbon particles. A prolonged period of activation (> 5 min) or the use of high potentials (> 1.2 V) increased the capacitance of the electrode over 20 microF cm(-2). The pre-treated SPCE behaved like a random array microelectrode, exhibiting a sigmoidal-shaped CV at a slow scan rate. The short pre-anodization method in Na2CO3 solution was generally applicable to most SPCE prepared with general-purpose carbon inks.     

Carbon paste electrodes: correlation between the electrochemical hydrogen storage capacity and the physicochemical properties of carbon blacks

The difficulties in the use of carbon paste electrodes to quantify the electrochemical adsorption of hydrogen in nanocarbon materials are described. Chronoamperometry studies using a Ferro/Ferri redox couple were performed to obtain the electrochemical active area of paste electrodes prepared by dispersion of differing samples of carbon blacks (CB) within silicon oil. This electrochemical active area was combined with the BET-surface area of the carbon blacks, to obtain the mass of superficial carbon involved in the electrochemical processes. To assure equal conditions for comparison, the electronic conductivity of the paste was equivalent in all the samples. From our results it appears that cyclic voltammetry, combined with carbon paste electrodes and nitrogen adsorption isotherms, provides a simple and less expensive route for the qualitative evaluation of the electrochemical hydrogen uptake of novel carbon materials. Still, for quantitative measurements, some issues remain unsolved in highly structured carbons, where the lack of penetration of the bulky Ferro/Ferri redox couple in the micropores of the CB and the occurrence of solid-state diffusion cause the underestimation of the mass involved in hydrogen adsorption.     

Effect of surface fluorination on the electrochemical and photoelectrocatalytic properties of nanoporous titanium dioxide electrodes

Titanium dioxide is a widely used photocatalyst whose properties can be modified by fluoride adsorption. This work is focused on the effect of surface fluorination on the electrochemical and photoelectrocatalytic properties of TiO(2) nanoporous thin films. Surface fluorination was achieved by simple addition of HF to the working solution (pH 3.5). Open circuit potential as well as ex situ XPS measurements verify that surface modification takes place. Fluorination triggers a significant capacitance increase in the accumulation potential region, as revealed by dark voltammetric measurements for all the TiO(2) samples studied. The photoelectrocatalytic properties (measured as photocurrents under white light illumination) depend on the substrate being oxidized and, in some cases, on the nature of the TiO(2) sample. In particular, the results obtained for electrodes prepared with a mixed phase (rutile + anatase) commercial nanopowder (PI-KEM) indicate that the processes mediated by surface trapped holes, such as the photooxidation of water or methanol, are accelerated while those occurring by direct hole capture from the adsorbed state (formic acid) are retarded. The photooxidation of catechol and phenol is also enhanced upon fluorination. In such a case, the effect can be rationalized on the basis of a diminished recombination and a surface displacement of both the oxidizable organic substrates and the poisoning species formed as a result of the organics oxidation. Photoelectrochemical and in situ infrared spectroscopic measurements support these ideas. In a more general vein, the results pave the way toward a better understanding of the photocatalysis phenomena, unravelling the importance of the reactant adsorption processes.     

Solid-state electrochemical lithium cells with oxide electrodes and composite solid electrolyte

The LiClO₄-Al₂O₃ composite solid electrolyte and solid solutions LiFe _x Mn_2?x O₄ and Li₅Ti₄O₁₂ compositions are synthesized and their physicochemical properties are studied using the x-ray diffraction and electrical measurements. Based on composition 0.5LiClO₄-0.5Al₂O₃, whose conductivity is the highest, first experiments on the elaboration of model electrochemical solid-electrolyte lithium cells with LiMn₂O₄, LiFeMnO₄, LiFe_0.8Mn_0.2O₄, and Li₅Ti₄O₁₂ oxide spinel electrodes are performed.     

Preparation of polymer phthalocyanine electrodes and their electrochemical properties

Phthalocyanine coated electrodes are of interest due to their high electrochemical and electrocatalytical activities. Several possibilities to prepare electrodes coated by polymeric phthalocyanine and its precursor are described. Examples of electrochemical (reduction/reoxidation of the films) as well as electrocatalytical properties are presented.     

Switchable surface properties through the electrochemical or biocatalytic generation of Ag0 nanoclusters on monolayer-functionalized electrodes

The electroswitchable and the biocatalytic/electrochemical switchable interfacial properties of a Ag(+)-biphenyldithiol (BPDT) monolayer associated with a Au surface are described. Upon the application of a potential corresponding to -0.2 V the Ag(+)-BPDT is reduced to the Ag(0)-BPDT interface, and silver nanoclusters are generated on the interface. The application of a potential that corresponds to 0.2 V reoxidizes the monolayer to the Ag(+)-BPDT monolayer. The reversible electrochemical transformation of the Ag(+)-BPDT monolayer and of the Ag(0)-BPDT surface was followed by electrochemical means and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR). The SPR experiments enabled us to follow the kinetics of nanoclustering of Ag(0) on the surface. The hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of the surface are controlled by the electrochemically induced transformation of the interface between the Ag(+)-BPDT and Ag(0)-BPDT states. The Ag(0)-BPDT monolayer reveals enhanced hydrophilicity. The hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of the interface were probed by contact angle measurements and force interactions with a hydrophobically-functionalized AFM tip. The Ag(0)-BPDT interface was also biocatalytically generated using alkaline phosphatase, AlkPh, and p-aminophenyl phosphate as substrate. The biocatalytically generated p-aminophenol reduces Ag(+) ions associated with the surface to Ag(0) nanoclusters. This enables the cyclic biocatalytic/electrochemical control of the surface properties of the modified electrode.     

Fabrication and electrochemical properties of novel nanoporous platinum network electrodes

Three-dimensional nanoporous Pt networks with a high surface area were directly grown on titanium substrates through a simple hydrothermal-assisted seed growth method.     

Hydrous manganese oxide/carbon nanotube composite electrodes for electrochemical capacitors

A novel type of composite electrode based on hydrous manganese oxide and a single-walled carbon nanotube has been prepared and used in electrochemical capacitors. Cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charging/discharging tests and electrochemical impedance measurements were applied to investigate the performance of the composite electrodes with different ratios of hydrous manganese oxide and single-walled carbon nanotube. For comparison, the performance of pure hydrous manganese oxide and pure carbon nanotubes was also studied. In this way, the composite electrode with a 6:4 ratio of hydrous manganese oxide to carbon nanotube was found to be the most promising active material for an electrochemical capacitor, which shows both good capacitance and power characteristics.     

Carbon nanotube/polysulfone composite screen-printed electrochemical enzyme biosensors

The fabrication, evaluation and attractive performance of multiwall carbon nanotube(MWCNT)/polysulfone biocomposite membrane modified thick-film screen-printed electrochemical biosensors are reported. The fabricated carbon nanotube/polysulfone (CNT/PS) strips combine the attractive advantages of carbon nanotube materials, polysulfone matrix and disposable screen-printed electrodes. Such thick-film carbon nanotubes/polysulfone sensors have a well defined performance, are mechanically stable, and exhibit high electrochemical activity. Furthermore, biocompatibility of CNT/PS composite allows easy incorporation of biological functional moiety of horseradish peroxidase by phase inversion technique. The comparison of graphite with MWCNT as conductor material is described in this paper. The proposed H(2)O(2) biosensor exhibited a linear range (applied potential, -0.2 V) from 0.02 to 0.5 mM and a K(M)(app) of 0.71 mM.     

Development of new sol-gel carbon composite electrodes and their application as electrochemical sensors

Microchimica Acta - Two types of modified electrodes, viz. sol-gel and sol-gel-poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride (PDMDAAC) carbon composite electrodes, were synthesised and characterised. In...     

MXene-based composite electrodes for efficient electrochemical sensing of glucose by non-enzymatic method

A recently discovered 2D transition titanium metal carbides also called as MXenes (Ti₃C₂T_x)-based nanocomposite was prepared with Cu₂O through wet precipitation technique, and these materials were further developed as the electrode for sensing glucose by chronoamperometry technique. The prepared MXene-Cu₂O (Ti₃C₂T_x-Cu₂O) nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, FE-SEM, EDAX, and Raman spectroscopy. Morphological studies of the composites revealed that the micro-octahedral shape of Cu₂O is distributed on the surface of MXene with size larger than bare Cu₂O. Further, the prepared composite material was fabricated as a sensing probe, and the electrochemical activities were examined by cyclic voltammetric analysis (CV) and chronoamperometric (CA) methods. From the CV and CA investigation, the current response was higher for the composite than the bare material (Cu₂O & MXene) in the presence of glucose. The amperometric investigation of MXene-Cu₂O composite for the detection of glucose shows a broad linear range (0.01–30 mM) with a sensitivity of 11.061/μAmM cm^?2 and a detection limit of 2.83 μM. Further, the fabricated sensor exhibits good selectivity with interfering species like NaCl, fructose, sucrose, urea, ascorbic acid, lactose, short response time, stability, good reproducibility, and compatibility with human serum sample. From the investigation, the prepared MXene-Cu₂O composite is a good candidate for the direct detection of glucose molecules and is also well suitable for clinical diagnosis.     

Enhancement of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties of fibrous Zn and ZnO electrodes

Zinc and zinc oxide electrodes with fibrous morphologies were prepared to exploit their high interfacial areas and superior electrical conductivity for the enhancement of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties.     

Carbon nanohorns-coated microfibers for use as free-standing electrodes for electrochemical power sources

We report the first direct laser based synthesis of carbon nanohorns onto carbon microfibrous, for the straightforward fabrication, of free-standing (binderless) electrodes. These carbon nanohorns have diameters as small as 2–4 nm and were found to cover uniformly the microfibrous substrates. The carbon nanohorns-based electrodes developed here are shown to open new prospects for the development of advanced electrochemical power sources. In particular, their possible applications in either lithium-ion batteries or supercapacitors or fuel cell technologies are demonstrated.     

1-Furoylthiourea-Sonogel-Carbon electrodes: Structural and electrochemical characterization

A new type of sensor based on Sonogel-Carbon materials modified with 1-(2-furoyl)-3-(1-naphthyl)thiourea is presented to be used as an amperometric sensor for metals. Different percentages of modifier were tested in order to optimise the structural and mechanical properties, as well as the electrochemical behaviour.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) and powder XRD were used for the structural characterization of these electrodes. The 1-(2-furoyl)-3-(1-naphthyl)thiourea did not modify significantly the structural and mechanical properties of the Sonogel-Carbon electrodes, being similar to other modifications carried out previously in these materials. For the study of the electrochemical response, anodic stripping differential pulse voltammetry (ASDPV) was employed, optimising other parameters of measurement such as pH of the buffer, potential and accumulation time and pulse amplitude. The electrochemical response of the modified electrodes improved significantly with respect to the non-modified electrode, giving good signals and acceptable detection limit.     

Effects of pretreatments and modifiers on electrochemical properties of carbon paste electrodes

The electrochemical properties of carbon paste electrodes (CPEs), including unmodified and modified with protein and polycations, were investigated by impedance spectroscopy (IS) using ferricyanide and ferrocene monocarboxylic acid (FcMA) as redox probes. Various electrochemical pretreatments were applied to the unmodified CPE. The heterogeneous charge transfer rate constant of ferro/ferricyanide couple is enhanced by 2 to 10 times compared with that obtained at untreated electrodes. It was found that for ferricyanide the more suitable pretreatments are successive cyclic voltammetric scans, cathodization and a square wave-like stepping rather than high-potential anodization. However, the pretreatment only exhibits a slight effect on the kinetics of FcMA. At the CPEs containing modifier, the electron transfer rate of the redox couple depends more on the pH of electrolyte solution if ferro/ferricyanide is used. The results can be explained by the differently charged states of the CPEs that were caused by the protonation or deprotonation of the modifiers in various pH solutions and demonstrate the importance of the electrostatic interaction on the kinetics of the highly polar species such as ferricyanide. The different adsorptive behavior of ferricyanide and FcMA is also discussed.     

Structure and properties of the Nafion—polyaniline—palladium composite electrodes

Effect of conditions of deposition of palladium onto a composite polymeric film Nafion—polyaniline on the properties of the system thus obtained is studied. It is shown that the effect of the said conditions on the character of distribution of palladium in a polymer may be used when estimating electrocatalytic potentialities of such composites.Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2005, pp. 213–218.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Andreev, Zolotarevskii.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with corrections to the article note and article title and cover date.     

Particle size dependence of the electrochemical properties of SrMnO3 supercapacitor electrodes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this letter, we report on the simple process of preparing perovskite oxide SrMnO3 and the studying of the size effect on electrochemical properties for...