Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in high-pressure carbon dioxide (CO2): experimental aspects of QCM theory and CO2 adsorption

The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique has been developed into a powerful tool for the study of solid-fluid interfaces. This study focuses on the applications of QCM in high-pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) systems. Frequency responses of six QCM crystals with different electrode materials (silver or gold) and roughness values were determined in helium, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide at 35-40 degrees C and at elevated pressures up to 3200 psi. The goal is to experimentally examine the applicability of the traditional QCM theory in high-pressure systems and determine the adsorption of CO2 on the metal surfaces. A new QCM calculation approach was formulated to consider the surface roughness contribution to the frequency shift. It was found that the frequency-roughness correlation factor, Cr, in the new model was critical to the accurate calculation of mass changes on the crystal surface. Experiments and calculations demonstrated that the adsorption (or condensation) of gaseous and supercritical CO2 onto the silver and gold surfaces was as high as 3.6 microg cm(-2) at 40 degrees C when the CO2 densities are lower than 0.85 g cm(-3). The utilization of QCM crystals with different roughness in determining the adsorption of CO2 is also discussed.     

乙腈溶液中银电极的表面增强拉曼光谱研究

利用共焦显微拉曼系统研究了非水体系0.1mol·L^-1LiClO4/CH3CN溶液中,乙腈分子在粗糙银和金电极表面的吸附和解离行为。结果表明非水体系中乙腈可在银、金表面发生还原反应,产物CN^-离子与电极表面作用形成的表面配合物可以较宽的电位区间吸附于电极表面。溶液中的微量水、激光照射以及电极电位均对该反应有较大的影响。通过拉曼谱图的比较,得出乙腈分子解离出的CN^-在金电极表面比在银电极表面有更强的吸附作用。     

Immobilization and electrochemical redox behavior of cytochrome c on fullerene film-modified electrodes

Two different fullerene film-modified electrodes were prepared and used for surface immobilization and electrochemical property investigation of horse heart cytochrome c (cyt c). Both a pristine fullerene film and fullerene-palladium (C(60)-Pd) polymer film-modified platinum, glassy carbon and indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes were used. The immobilized cyt c was characterized by piezoelectric microgravimetry at a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), UV-visible absorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The UV-visible spectral studies revealed a small blue shift of both the Soret and Q band of the heme moiety of cyt c, immobilized on the C(60)-Pd polymer film-modified ITO electrode, as compared to the bands of cyt c in solution suggesting that molecules of cyt c are densely packed onto the surface of the modified electrode. The CV studies revealed a quasi-reversible electrode behavior of the heme moiety indicating the occurrence of kinetically hindered electron transfer. A good agreement was found between the values of cyt c electrode surface coverage determined by piezoelectric microgravimetry and cyclic voltammetry. For piezoelectric microgravimetry, these values ranged from 0.5 x 10(-10) to 2.5 x 10(-10) mol cm(-2), depending upon the amount of cyt c present in solution and the time allowed for immobilization, which compared with a value of 3.6+/-0.4 x 10(-10) mol cm(-2) determined by CV. The possible mechanisms of cyt c immobilization on the C(60) film and C(60)-Pd film-modified electrodes are also discussed.     

Motion of redox molecules in solution monitored by the highly-sensitive EQCM technique

The behavior of redox molecules in solution that was not detected by electrochemical techniques was measured by a highly-sensitive electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique that has been improved in this study to obtain a high sensitivity of EQCM measurement in solution. The improved EQCM technique allowed to monitor the motion of a redox molecule, that is an access of the molecule to an electrode surface and repulsion from the surface during redox. An EQCM technique currently in use has measured adsorption of redox molecules on an electrode surface or polymerization on the surface caused by a chemical reaction following redox, which exhibits an enough large mass change response to detect with an EQCM measurement. However, access and repulsion of redox molecule, which is a slight motion of the molecule near on electrode surface, has not been detected and investigated by an EQCM technique, because the mass change response seems to be very small. In this study, the redox behavior of methyl viologen on a bare gold surface, pyridinethiol surface and methylpyridinethiol surface was investigated. Although the three electrodes give the same cyclic voltammogram of methyl viologen, the three are different in QCM response recorded at the same time as the voltammetry. Access/repulsion of methyl viologen within an electrical double layer was monitored by the highly-sensitive EQCM technique.     

Motion of redox molecules in solution monitored by the highly-sensitive EQCM technique

The behavior of redox molecules in solution that was not detected by electrochemical techniques was measured by a highly-sensitive electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique that has been improved in this study to obtain a high sensitivity of EQCM measurement in solution. The improved EQCM technique allowed to monitor the motion of a redox molecule, that is an access of the molecule to an electrode surface and repulsion from the surface during redox. An EQCM technique currently in use has measured adsorption of redox molecules on an electrode surface or polymerization on the surface caused by a chemical reaction following redox, which exhibits an enough large mass change response to detect with an EQCM measurement. However, access and repulsion of redox molecule, which is a slight motion of the molecule near on electrode surface, has not been detected and investigated by an EQCM technique, because the mass change response seems to be very small. In this study, the redox behavior of methyl viologen on a bare gold surface, pyridinethiol surface and methylpyridinethiol surface was investigated. Although the three electrodes give the same cyclic voltammogram of methyl viologen, the three are different in QCM response recorded at the same time as the voltammetry. Access/repulsion of methyl viologen within an electrical double layer was monitored by the highly-sensitive EQCM technique.     

Methylene blue and neutral red electropolymerisation on AuQCM and on modified AuQCM electrodes: an electrochemical and gravimetric study

The phenazine monomers neutral red (NR) and methylene blue (MB) have been electropolymerised on different quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) substrates: MB at AuQCM and nanostructured ultrathin sputtered carbon AuQCM (AuQCM/C), and NR on AuQCM and on layer-by-layer films of hyaluronic acid with myoglobin deposited on AuQCM (AuQCM-{HA/Mb}(6)). The surface of the electrode substrates was characterised by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the frequency changes during potential cycling electropolymerisation of the monomer were monitored by the QCM. The study investigates how the monomer chemical structure together with the electrode morphology and surface structure can influence the electropolymerisation process and the electrochemical properties of the phenazine-modified electrodes. Differences between MB and NR polymerisation, as well as between the different substrates were found. The electrochemical properties of the PNR-modified electrodes were analysed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and compared with the unmodified AuQCM. The results are valuable for future applications of modified AuQCM as substrates for electroactive polymer film deposition and applications in redox-mediated electrochemical sensors and biosensors.     

Fabrication of Low-cost Screen-printed Electrode in Paper Using Conductive Inks of Graphite and Silver/Silver Chloride

The fabrication of the Screen-Printed Electrode (SPE) was performed using the graphite ink to print the working (WE) and counter electrodes (CE), and silver/silver chloride path as reference electrode (RE). All the electrodes are printed in a paper substrate using screen-printing technique. The resulting SPE is characterized using scanning electron microscopy, showing all the ink layer, and subsequently optimized. The paper sample presented the cellulose fibers entanglement, extremely rough, with highly porous network. Then the graphite ink was deposited and the surface became flat, thinner and very smooth. When the silver ink was painted on top of the graphite ink, the spherical silver particles, ranged from 2–3.5 μm in size, were observed. And finally, the silver ink was covered with a AgCl layer and the particle size becomes larger with an irregular sphere-like phase. The images showed that the layers appear to be homogeneously distributed with good coverage. Then fabrication process was optimized concerning type of paper, the sanding process, the hydrophobic barrier, the electrode design and size. In summary, the optimized values included using the previously sanded matte paper with a mineral spirit layer. The design and size of the electrode were also tested to achieve the best electrochemical performance (design 3 with 3.5 cm). The final SPE was a miniaturized and flexible paper-based electrochemical electrode. In order to evaluate the electrical properties, the ohmic resistance of each ink was tested using a multimeter and the obtained values were 2.18 kΩ for the graphite ink, 2.27 Ω for the silver ink and 38.33 kΩ for the silver/silver chloride ink. That can indicate the good conductivity of each ink used in the fabrication of the electrode and the correct deposition of Ag/AgCl. Finally, the electrode was used to measure the electrochemical response of K₄[Fe(CN)₆] in different concentrations. Then a calibration curve was obtained from the voltammograms and a linearity was observed between the current and concentration in the range of 0.50–2.00 mM. That indicates that the SPE has potential to be used as a voltammetric electrode.     

Microband Sensor for As(III) Analysis: Reduced Matrix Interference

A portable sensor based on a microband design for arsenic detection in drinking water is presented. The work was focused to minimize interference encountered with a standard screen‐printed electrodes featuring an onboard gold working electrode, carbon counter and silver−silver chloride pseudo‐reference electrodes as composite coatings on plastic surface. The interference effect was identified as chloride ions interacting with the silver surface of the reference electrode and formation of soluble silver chloride complexes such as AgCl₄³⁻. By modification of the reference electrodes with Nafion membrane (5 % in alcohols), the interference was entirely eliminated. However, membrane coverage and uniformity can impact the electrodes reproducibility and performance. Hence, the sensor design was further considered and a microband format was produced lending favorable diffusive to capacitive current characteristics. Using the microband electrodes allowed As(III) detection with limit of detection of 0.8 ppb (in 4 M HCl electrolyte), inherently avoiding the problems of electrode fouling and maximizing analyte signal in river water samples. This is below the World Health Organization limit of 10 μg L⁻¹ (ppb). The electrolyte system was chosen so as to avoid problems from other common metal ions, most notably Cu(II). The presented electrode system is cost effective and offers a viable alternative to the colorimetric test kits presently employed for arsenic analysis in drinking water.     

A novel dual-impedance-analysis EQCM system--investigation of bovine serum albumin adsorption on gold and platinum electrode surfaces

Both quartz crystal micro-balance (QCM) impedance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods are widely used in interface studies. This paper presents details about a new strategy for simultaneous, mutual-interference-free and accurate measurements of QCM impedance and EI, through connecting a suitable capacitance in series with the piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) between QCM impedance and EIS measurement instruments. Combined and individual measurements of QCM impedance and EIS during silver deposition gave results comparable with each other, demonstrating the reliability of the proposed method. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption on gold and platinum electrodes in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffers was investigated, and the Fe(CN)6(3-)/Fe(CN)6(4-) couple was used as an electrochemical probe to characterize BSA adsorption. While the reversibility of Fe(CN)6(3-)/Fe(CN)6(4-) couple on bare Au and Pt electrodes changed very slightly with decreasing solution pH from pH approximately 7 to pH approximately 2, the standard rate constant (ks) of this couple increased abruptly with solution pH below pH approximately 4.5 at a BSA-modified Au electrode, but decreased with solution pH at a BSA-modified Pt electrode. By analyzing the QCM impedance data with a modified BVD equivalent circuit and the EI data with a modified Randle's equivalent circuit, inflexion changes at pH approximately 4.5 were all found at pH-dependent responses of the resonant frequency, the double-layer capacitance, the capacitance of the adsorbed BSA layer, the peak-absorbance values of BSA solutions at 277.5 and 224.5 nm, and so on. It was also found that a BSA adsorption layer can effectively inhibit gold corrosion during ferrocyanide oxidation in a ferrocyanide-containing BR solution. Some preliminary explanations of these findings have been given. The proposed method is highly recommended for wider applications in surface science.     

Study of the potential response of solid-state chloride electrodes at low concentration ranges

Ion-selective electrodes based on silver chloride precipitates have been investigated in the low concentration range, by use of a specially designed cell of small volume. Electrode potential measurements and silver determinations in the corresponding solutions by atomic-absorption spectrometry were made. The results prove that the potential response of these ion-selective electrodes in the low concentration ranges is governed by inequality of the ion concentrations in the boundary zone of the test solution contacting the electrode membrane. This is a result of adsorption-desorption processes, a dissolution process followed by recrystallization of the silver chloride at the electrode membrane surface, and photoreduction of silver ions at the electrode surface.     

Variability of selectivity coefficients of solid-state ion-selective electrodes

The generalized model for the selectivity mechanism of solid-state ion-selective electrodes has been experimentally verified. The experimental parameters investigated were the concentration of interfering ion, temperature and stirring. Among the systems studied were electrodes sensitive to chloride (bromide, iodide), bromide (chloride, iodide), iodide (chloride, bromide), silver (copper, lead), copper (silver, lead) and lead (silver, copper), the species given in brackets being considered as the interferents. The model has been confirmed except for cases where the concentration of ions formed at the electrode surface by metathesis is too small to be the factor that dictates the electrode potential.     

Photoinduced graft polymerization of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine on polyethylene membrane surface for obtaining blood cell adhesion resistance

Phospholipid polymer, poly[2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)], was grafted with polyethylene (PE) membrane using photoinduced polymerization technique to make the membrane resistant to cell adhesion. The water contact angle on the PE membrane grafted with poly(MPC) decreased with an increase in the photopolymerization time. This decrease corresponded to the increase in the amount of poly(MPC) grafted on the PE surface. The same graft polymerization procedure was applied using other hydrophilic monomers, such as acrylamide (AAm), N-vinylpyrrolidone (VPy) and methacryloyl poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG). These monomers were also polymerized to form grafted chains on the PE membrane, and the grafting was confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Analysis of amount and distribution of plasma proteins at the plasma-contacting surface of the original and the modified PE membranes were analyzed using immunogold assay. The grafting of poly(MPC) and poly(VPy) on PE membrane reduced the plasma protein adsorption significantly compared with that on the original PE membrane. However, the PE membranes grafted with poly(AAm) or poly(MPEG) did not show any effects on protein adsorption. Platelet adhesion on the original and modified PE membranes from platelet-rich plasma was also examined. A large number of platelets adhered and activated on the original PE membrane. Grafting with poly(AAm) did not suppress platelet adhesion, but grafting with poly(MPC) or poly(VPy) on the PE membrane was effective in preventing platelet adhesion. It is concluded that the introduction of the phosphorylcholine group on the surface could decrease the cell adhesion to substrate polymer.     

Salient features of the electrical double layer structure on mechanically renewed gold-silver electrodes in aqueous solutions of a surface-inactive electrolyte

The behavior of electrodes, which are made of binary Au-Ag alloys (Ag content 1–15 at %) and renewed by mechanical cutting in aqueous solutions of sodium fluoride, is studied with the aid of cyclic voltammetry and impedance methods. It is established that, in the region of potentials corresponding to ideal polarizability, the differential capacitance of the electrical double layer rapidly changes with time elapsed after the renewal of the surface of the electrodes. The change in the capacitance is brought about by the exit of silver atoms into a surface layer. The implication is that silver is the surface-active component in these alloys. The rate of the surface segregation of silver atoms depends on the electrode potential. The segregation rate substantially increases upon going into the region that corresponds to positive charges of the silver electrode surface and to the beginning of adsorption of atomic oxygen on the electrode. Based on phenomenological models, a method for processing capacitance curves is realized, which links experimentally observed time effects to variations that occur in the surface composition, and assumptions concerning the mechanism of relaxation processes that are responsible for the observed time effects are put forth. Explicit data on the effect, which is exerted by mechanical renewal on the composition of the surface layer of Au-Ag alloys at different distances from the interface with a vacuum, are obtained with the aid of an x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy method. It is established that the surface layer (～0.5 nm) is enriched by silver atoms as compared with the alloy’s bulk.     

An electrochemical amplification immunoassay using bi-electrode signal transduction system

An electrochemical immunoassay technique has been developed based on the sensitive detection of the enzyme-generated product with a bi-electrode signal transduction system. The system uses two separate electrodes, an immunoelectrode and a detection electrode to form a galvanic cell to implement the redox reactions on two different electrodes, that is the enzyme-generated reductant in the anode region is electrochemically oxidized by an oxidant (silver ions) in the cathode apartment. Based on a sandwich procedure, after immunoelectrode with antibody immobilized on its surface bound with the corresponding antigen and alkaline phosphatase conjugated antibody successively, the immunoelectrode was placed in enzyme reaction solution and wired to the detection electrode which was immerged into a silver deposition solution. These two solutions are connected with a salt bridge. Thus a bi-electrode signal transduction system device is constructed in which the immunoelectrode acts as anode and the detection electrode serves as cathode. The enzyme bound on the anode surface initiates the hydrolysis of ascorbic acid 2-phosphate to produce ascorbic acid in the anode region. The ascorbic acid produced in the anodic apartment is electrochemically oxidized by silver ions coupled with the deposition of silver metal on the cathode. Via a period of 30 min deposition, silver will deposited on the detection electrode in an amount corresponding to the quantity of ascorbic acid produced, leading to a great enhancement in the electrochemical stripping signal due to the accumulation of metallic silver by enzyme-generated product. Compared with the method using chemical deposition of silver, the electrochemical deposition of silver on a separate detection electrode apartment avoids the possible influence of silver deposition on the enzyme activity.     

Electroless deposition of metallic silver from a choline chloride-based ionic liquid: a study using acoustic impedance spectroscopy, SEM and atomic force microscopy

In this paper, we describe the first example of a sustained galvanic coating deposited on a surface from a non-aqueous liquid. We present the surface characterization of electroless silver deposits on copper substrates from a solution of Ag(+) ions in an ionic liquid based on a choline chloride (ChCl) eutectic. Through a study of these deposits and the mechanism of formation using acoustic impedance spectroscopy (QCM), probe microscopy (AFM) and electron microscopy (SEM/EDX), we demonstrate that sustained growth of the silver deposit is facilitated by the porous nature of the silver. This is in contrast to the dip-coating reaction of silver ions in aqueous media, where the reaction stops when surface coverage is reached. Electroless silver deposits of up to several microns have been obtained by dip coating in ionic liquids without the use of catalysts of strong inorganic acids.     

动态阻（容）抗法研究Cl－对银铟硒上电化学振荡的影响

采用现场动态阻（容）抗法测试技术,研究在不同支持电解质溶液中,过氧化氢在电沉积银铟硒电极上阴极还原过程的电化学振荡行为,振荡前后,电极的表面组成亦由ＡＥＳ能谱测得。根据实验结果,详细讨论了氯离子对此电化学振荡机理的影响。     

Immobilization of liposomes onto quartz crystal microbalance to detect interaction between liposomes and proteins

To study the interaction between liposomes and proteins, intact liposomes were immobilized on a metal planar support by chemical binding and/or bioaffinity using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). A large decrease in the resonance frequency of quartz crystal was observed when the QCM, modified by a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of carboxythiol, was added to liposome solutions. The stable chemical immobilization of intact liposomes onto SAM was judged according to the degree with which adsorbed mass depended on the prepared size of liposomes, as well as on the activation time of SAMs when amino-coupling was introduced, where the liposome coverage of electrodes was 69+/-8% in optimal conditions. When avidin-biotin binding was used on amino-coupling liposome layers, liposome immobilization finally reached 168% coverage of the electrode surface. Denatured protein was also successfully detected according to the change in the frequency of the liposome-immobilized QCM. The adsorbed mass of denatured carbonic anhydrase from bovine onto immobilized liposomes showed a characteristic peak at a concentration of guanidine hydrochloride that corresponded to a molten globule-like state of the protein, although the mass adsorbed onto deactivated SAM increased monotonously.     

STM, QCM, and the windshield wiper effect: a joint theoretical-experimental study of adsorbate mobility and lubrication at high sliding rates

We have observed that when mobile adsorbed films of benzene, tricresyl phosphate, and tertiary-butyl phenyl phosphate are present on the surface electrode of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), oscillation of the QCM produces clearer scanning tunneling microscope (STM) images of the electrode surface. This is in contrast to an immobile overlayer of iodobenzene, where oscillation of the QCM does not affect image quality. This observation is attributed to a "windshield wiper effect", where at MHz frequencies the tip motion maintains a region of the surface where the absorbate concentration is reduced, which leads to a clearer image. A straightforward model is presented that supports this conclusion and that provides guidelines for effective lubrication of contacts operating at MHz frequencies.     

Fabrication and electrochemical application of three-dimensional gold nanoparticles: self-assembly

Multilayers film of nanostructured citrate-stabilized gold particles (AuNPs) has been fabricated based on the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique using a self-assembled monolayer of 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol (BDMT). The formation of AuNPs and BDMT self-assemblies as alternative multilayers was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The formation of uniform AuNP layers with an average monolayer thickness of 5-6 nm was obvious in the TEM images. The existence of BDMT molecules as cross linkers for the AuNPs' layers was proved by XPS measurements. The greater affinity of AuNPs' layers to bind BDMT molecules in comparison with the bare Au bulk electrode was revealed by QCM measurements. Electrochemically, the AuNPs' layers on the electrode surface did not only catalyze the reduction of oxygen (ca. 100-mV positive shift of the reduction peak potential compared with that at the bare Au bulk electrode) but also showed a fascinating nature of working as a renewed activated-electrode surface; a zigzag response was observed for oxygen reduction during alternative immobilization of BDMT and the AuNP layer. The self-assembly of a new AuNPs layer restored the catalytic activity that was entirely blocked by the preceding BDMT layer.     

超氧自由基电化学发生体系的研究

超氧自由基是人体内氧代谢的重要产物 [1 ] .迄今为止 ,超氧自由基的研究方法有电子自旋共振法、光度法和电化学法等 [2～ 5] .其中 ,通过电化学还原氧产生超氧自由基是一种简便快捷的方法 [6,7] .本文使用长链表面活性剂 DSAB作为疏水分子 ,比较了强碱性介质中氧在汞电极和 4种非汞电极上的电化学还原行为 ,建立了超氧自由基在非汞电极 (铂电极 )上电化学发生新体系 .通过石英晶体微天平和计时电量法进一步证实了超氧自由基的产生 ,并用循环伏安法比较了抗坏血酸和半胱氨酸两种抗氧化剂对超氧自由基的清除能力 .1　实验部分1.1　试剂与仪…