Self‐Assembling of Hybrid Prussian Blue Units in Cinder Matrix: Characterization and Electrocatalysis

Industrial waste cinder (CFe*) has been utilized as a stable anchoring matrix for self‐assembling of Fe(CN)₆^3? as hybrid Prussian blue units (PB, *Fe³⁺Fe^II(CN)₆) on a screen‐printed carbon electrode (SPE) for efficient catalytic applications. The waste cinder was found to be a composite of calcium and iron silicates similar to glass matrix by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) study. The hybrid PB formations were confirmed by both FT‐IR and electrochemical methods. Most importantly, the free iron (Fe*) ion bound to the non‐bridging oxygen terminals of the silicates was found to play a key role in the PB formation. The self‐assembled PB hybrid on the cinder‐modified screen‐printed electrodes (designated as PBCFe*‐SPE) improved linear detection range and sensitivity for H₂O₂ mediated oxidation than those obtained at a classical PB‐SPE in 0.1 M, pH 2 KCl/HCl base electrolyte at 0.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) by amperometric batch analysis.     

Spectroelectrochemical Studies on Silicate Sol‐Gel Matrix‐supported Sub‐10 nm Prussian Blue Nanostructures‐based Electrochromic Device

In this study, spectroelectrochemical (SPE) studies to monitor the electrochromic properties of electrochemically synthesized sub‐10 nm sized Prussian blue (PB) nanostructures (NSs) are employed. At the beginning the dark blue coloured device, shifts reversibly between translucent and dark‐blue while applying an applied bias between +1 to ?1 V with an opposite polarization. Amine functionalized silicate sol‐gel matrix (SSG) is used as a solid support and stabilizer for electrodepositing highly uniform sub‐10 nm PB NSs. The SSG's film thickness is suitably optimized through suitable controlled experiments. It is found that the SPE behaviour of sub‐10 nm sized PB NSs, suitably followed a colour modulation of PB into Prussian white (PW) and vice‐versa. SPE studies are used to investigate the redox switching between the PB and PW and which are responsible for an electrochromic function of a fabricated electrochromic device (ECD). Fabricated ECD has demonstrated an optical modulation at 680 nm with the moderate coloration efficiency of 115.8 cm²/C. Present study validates the SPE feature of sub‐10 nm PB NSs as an active electrochromic nanomaterial and demonstrating the applicability of SPE technique to investigate the variety of electrochromic nanomaterials, with consequences in both spectral and electrochemically active nanomaterials for electrochromic device applications.     

Prussian Blue‐Modified Titanate Nanotubes: A Novel Nanostructured Catalyst for Electrochemical Reduction of Hydrogen Peroxide

Prussian blue (PB) modified titanate nanotubes (PB‐TiNT) have been synthesized by the reaction of Fe²⁺‐modified TiNT with hexacyanoferrate(III) ions. The rate constant for heterogeneous catalytic reaction between PB‐TiNT and H₂O₂ was found to be k=2×10⁴ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1, which is an order of magnitude higher than the values of k reported for conventionally prepared, electrochemically deposited PB films. On the PB‐TiNT modified electrode with subnanomolar surface concentration of PB (Γ(PB)=2.8×10^?11 mol/cm²), a stable, reproducible and linear response towards H₂O₂ was obtained in the concentration range 0.02–4 mM, with the sensitivity of 0.10 AM^?1 cm^?2 at ?150 mV.     

Urea Biosensor Based on Electrochromic Properties of Prussian Blue

Prussian blue (PB) is an electrochromic material, which can be used as a signal transducer in the formation of optical urea biosensors. The previous researches in electrochromic properties of PB demonstrated the optical PB response to ammonium ions, which occurs when ammonium ions are interacting with PB layer at a constant 0.2 V vs Ag|AgCl|KCl_sat potential. In this work PB optical dependence on ammonium ions concentration was applied in the formation of electrochromic urea biosensor. Biosensor was formed by modifying the optically transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass electrode (glass/ITO) with Prussian blue layer and immobilizing urease (glass/ITO/PB‐urease). Calibration curve showed the linear dependency (R²=0.995) between the change of maximal absorbance (ΔA) and urea concentration in concentration range varying from 3 mM to 30 mM. The highest sensitivity (4 ΔA M^?1) of glass/ITO/PB‐urease biosensor is in the concentration range from 7 mM to 30 mM. It was determined that working principle of the glass/ITO/PB‐urease biosensor is not related to pH changes occurring during enzymatic hydrolysis of urea.     

A novel Prussian blue‐magnetite composite synthesized by self‐template method and its application in reduction of hydrogen peroxide

A novel Prussian blue (PB)‐Fe₃O₄ composite has been prepared for the first time by self‐template method using PB as the precursor. According to this method, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles distributed uniformly on the surface of PB cube. The feed ratio of sodium acetate to PB has been proved to be a key factor for magnetic properties and electro‐catalysis properties of the composite. Under the experimental conditions, the saturation magnetization value (Ms) of PB‐Fe₃O₄–2 composite was 22 emug^?1, while the Ms value of other samples reduced. The composites also showed a good peroxidase‐like activity for the oxidation of substrate 3,3,5,5‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H₂O₂. The catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide capacity was PB‐Fe₃O₄–1> PB‐Fe₃O₄–2> PB‐Fe₃O₄–3> PB‐Fe₃O₄–0, which confirmed the Fe(II) centres in PB surface and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles had synergistic effect on catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide.     

Electrochemical Fabrication of Prussian Blue Nanocube‐decorated Electroreduced Graphene Oxide for Amperometric Sensing of NADH

In this study, Prussian blue (PB) film on the electroreduced graphene oxide (ERGO)‐modified Au electrode surface (ERGO/PB) is easily prepared by means of cyclic voltammetric technique in the mixture of K₃Fe(CN)₆ and FeCl₃. Its electrochemical behaviors for NADH biosensor are studied. The structural and morphological characters of modified electrode material are analyzed with using of XPS, XRD, Raman, EDS, and SEM techniques. ERGO/PB hybrid nanocomposite for NADH biosensor is exhibited to the higher catalytic effect (linear range from 1.0 to 100 μM, detection limit of 0.23 μM at S/N=3) compared to naked Au, ERGO‐modified Au, and PB‐modified Au electrodes. In addition to, ERGO/PB electrode was used to voltammetric and amperometric detection of H₂O₂. ERGO/PB electrodes also showed the same behavior as the NADH sensor. This ERGO/PB‐modified electrode supplied a simple, new, and low‐cost route for amperometric sensing of both NADH and H₂O₂.     

Prussian Blue Modified Submicron Structured Gold Electrodes for Amperometric Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing

In this work, we present a simple and effective approach for fabricating sub‐micron structured gold (SM−Au) electrodes by chemically etching the magnetron co‐sputtered gold film in KI solution for certain time. Such electrodes with a large surface area to volume ratio were used as the matrix for electrochemical deposition of Prussian blue (PB) to develop an electrochemical hydrogen peroxide sensor. Experimental characterization using scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope shows that the thickness of PB layer on SM−Au electrode is around 140 nm, and is composited with cubic PB nanocrystals. The electrochemical performance of the designed sensor, studied using cyclic voltammograms and chronoamperometry methods, suggests that the sensor based on SM−Au/PB electrode presents the direct electron transfer of PB particle towards SM−Au film, and exhibits fast response, wide linearity, low detection limit and high stability. Under the optimized conditions, the sensitivity of the developed sensor for the detection of H₂O₂ reaches the value of 512 mA cm⁻² M⁻¹ with a linear range from 1 μM to 4.5 mM.     

A Signal‐Amplified Electrochemical Immunosensor Based on Prussian Blue and Pt Hollow Nanospheres as Matrix

Through electrodepositing Prussian blue (PB) and chitosan (CS), then casting Pt hollow nanospheres (HN‐Pt) and assembling CA19‐9 antibody on the electrode surface, an immunosensor was achieved. A new signal amplification strategy based on PB and HN‐Pt toward the electrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂ was employed when performing the determination. The resulting immunosensor showed a high sensitivity, broad linear response to carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9) in two ranges from 0.5 to 30 and 30 to 240 U mL^?1 with a low detection limit of 0.13 U mL^?1 (S/N=3). Moreover, it displayed good reproducibility and stability, and would be potentially attractive for clinical immunoassay of CA19‐9.     

η1‐Allypalladium Complexes with Tridentate PNP’ Ligand for the Assembly of Modified Screen Printed Electrodes: an Electrochemical Study

Specific Pd‐based organometallic complex, in particular the [Pd(η¹‐CH₂? CH=CH₂)(P? N? P’)]BF₄ was used for the assembly of chemically modified Screen Printed Electrodes (SPEs) and their electrochemical reactivity was also investigated. For this purpose potassium ferricyanide, hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride, sodium hexachloroiridate‐(III) hydrate, ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), acetaminophen (Ac), guanine (G) and adenine (A) were used to study the electron‐transfer processes, which occurred at modified SPEs, fabricated by using the [Pd(η¹‐CH₂? CH=CH₂)(P? N? P’)]BF₄, applying the drop casting procedure. Interesting results were obtained in the case of the guanine (G) quantitative detection, especially in terms of a wide range of concentration (2.5–40 nM), an high sensitivity (of 49.0 A M^?1 cm^?2), a low detection limit (LOD=1.0 nM) and a fast response time (of t=2 s). The intra‐electrode reproducibility (RSD%) was <1 % for the same SPE used for each point of the calibration plot. The inter‐electrode reproducibility (RSD%), estimated by using different SPEs for each single point of the quantitative calibration graph, ranging from 5 to 10 %, better than that exhibited by other different chemical sensors, described in literature, and reported in this work for comparison. In addition, the high selectivity of the chemically modified sensors toward the oxidation of guanine, exhibited in presence of a mixture of G+A, in the same electrochemical bath solution, could be related to the different electro‐catalytic mechanisms, as demonstrated by the XPS study. This chemical sensor prototype could be very promising for bio‐medicine applications.     

Self‐Assembled Prussian Blue Nanoparticles Based Electrochemical Sensor for High Sensitive Determination of H2O2 in Acidic Media

In this paper, self‐assembled Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) on carbon ceramic electrode (CCE) were developed as a high sensitive hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) electrochemical sensor. The PBNPs film was prepared by a simple dipping method. The morphology of the PBNPs‐modified CCE was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The self‐assembled PB film exhibited sufficient mechanical, electrochemical stability and high sensitivity in compare with other PB based H₂O₂ sensors. The sensor showed a good linear response for H₂O₂ over the concentration range 1 μM–0.26 mM with a detection limit of ca. 0.7 μM (S/N=3), and sensitivity of 754.6 mA M^?1 cm^?2. This work demonstrates the feasibility of self‐assembled PBNPs‐modified CCE for practical sensing applications.     

A Robust,Precious‐Metal‐Free Dye‐Sensitized Photoanode for Water Oxidation: A Nanosecond‐Long Excited‐State Lifetime through a Prussian Blue Analogue

Herein, we establish a simple synthetic strategy affording a heterogeneous, precious metal‐free, dye‐sensitized photoelectrode for water oxidation, which incorporates a Prussian blue (PB) structure for the sensitization of TiO₂ and water oxidation catalysis. Our approach involves the use of a Fe(CN)₅ bridging group not only as a cyanide precursor for the formation of a PB‐type structure but also as an electron shuttle between an organic chromophore and the catalytic center. The resulting hetero‐functional PB‐modified TiO₂ electrode demonstrates a low‐cost and easy‐to‐construct photoanode, which exhibits favorable electron transfers with a remarkable excited state lifetime on the order of nanoseconds and an extended light absorption capacity of up to 500 nm. Our approach paves the way for a new family of precious metal‐free robust dye‐sensitized photoelectrodes for water oxidation, in which a variety of common organic chromophores can be employed in conjunction with CoFe PB structures.     

Prussian Blue/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Hybrids: Synthesis,Assembly and Electrochemical Behavior

Prussian blue/carbon nanotube (PB/CNT) hybrids with excellent dispersibility in aqueous solutions were synthesized by adding CNTs to an acidic solution of Fe³⁺, [Fe(CN)₆]^3? and KCl. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV‐vis absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to confirm the formation of PB/CNT hybrids. The PB nanoparticles formed on the CNT surfaces exhibit a narrow size distribution and an average size of 40 nm. The present results demonstrate that the selective reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ by CNTs is the key step for PB/CNT hybrid formation. The subsequent fabrication of the PB/CNT hybrid films was achieved by layer‐by‐layer technique. The thus‐prepared PB/CNT hybrid films exhibit electrocatalytic activity towards H₂O₂ reduction.     

Electrochemical Conversion of Magnetic Nanoparticles Using Disposable Working Electrode in a 3D‐Printed Electrochemical Cell

Exploration of new property/function of nanomaterials is always a strong impetus in the nanoscience field. Here, a new method of electrochemical conversion (ECC) of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is proposed to endow MNPs with signal generation ability for sensing. Briefly, high potential was applied to split H₂O to generate acid, while Fe₃O₄ MNPs reacted with H⁺ and produce ferric/ferrous ions, which further reacted with K₄Fe(CN)₆ to yield Prussian blue (PB) through potential cycling. The ECC method worked well on both home‐made and commercial MNPs with different sizes. The generated PB possessed strong electrochemical activity for further applications. Interestingly, an uneven deposition of PB on working electrode and undesired contamination of the reference and counter electrodes were found when using commercial integrated three‐electrode chip. A 3D‐printed electrochemical cell was designed to facilitate the ECC and avoid drawbacks of commercial integrated electrode. The 3D‐printed electrochemical cell was proven to solve the problem above through spatial separation of electrodes and thus facilitated the ECC process. An electrochemical sensor for H₂O₂ detection based on the catalysis ability of ECC‐based PB exhibited a linear response from 5 μM to 1 mM, a high sensitivity of 269 μA mM^?1 cm^?2 and a low detection limit of 0.16 μM (S/N=3), which suggests its promising application prospect in electrochemistry‐related analysis.     

One‐step Electrodeposition of Tris(hydroxymethyl) Aminomethane – Prussian Blue on Screen‐printed Electrode for Highly Efficient Detection of Glycosylated Hemoglobin

In this work, the modified Prussian blue (PB) film showed more stable performance in alkaline solution by one‐step electrodepositon of PB with tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (Tris) on screen‐printed electrode (SPE). The morphology and structure of the modified Tris‐PB/SPE was characterized by scanning electronic microscopy, infra spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. It was inferred that the Tris particles embedded in the PB deposit layer resulted in the change of PB structure and improve its stability in alkaline solution. And then, the modified Tris‐PB/SPE was applied in the detection of Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The optimum experimental conditions are pH 7.5, 100 mV/s, 4 μL FAOD and 5 min reaction time. The linearship of HbA1c is i=22.90 C+101.9 in the range of 0.1–2 mmol/L. Comparing with PB/SPE, Tris‐PB/SPE shows better sensitivity and recovery.     

Electrochemistry of Prussian Blue in silica sol-gel electrolytes doped with polyamidoamine dendrimers

The inclusion of a generation-4 polyamidoamine (G4-PAMAM) dendrimer in a silica sol-gel yielded a solid electrolyte that was used to encapsulate Prussian Blue (PB), iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II), and cobalt hexacyanoferrate. The PB was synthesized in the doped silica by sequential immersion of a monolith in 0.1 M K₄Fe(CN)₆, water, and 0.1 M FeCl₃. Inclusion of G4-PAMAM resulted in a nanoporous anion-exchange material with a capacity of 10.1 mmol g^–1, which is about four times greater than the capacity of silica alone. Relative to its G0 counterpart, the G4-PAMAM doped silica increased the rate of formation of PB by a factor of ca. 20. The solid state voltammetry of PB in the doped silica had the usual features for this compound. At 0.1 V vs. a Ag quasi-reference electrode, a reversible reduction was seen; the relationship between current and scan rate was that for a surface-confined redox couple. The quasi-reversible oxidation of PB was observed at 0.85 V. Inclusion of G4-PAMAM increased the lifetime of silica as a solid electrolyte from a few days to at least three months. Raman microprobe mapping analysis demonstrated that PB was homogeneously distributed across the entire width (ca. 1 mm) of the G4-doped monolith with 20-h immersions. Electronic Publication     

磁性普鲁士蓝纳米颗粒的合成及其化学修饰电极的制作

利用FeSO₄与FeCl₃合成了超细磁性Fe₃O₄纳米颗粒, 并进一步利用该纳米颗粒与铁氰酸钾在酸性溶液(pH～2)中的化学反应成功制备了一种新型的磁性普鲁士蓝纳米颗粒; 研究了该磁性颗粒的磁学性能, 通过磁力将其修饰于固体石蜡碳糊电极表面制成了化学修饰电极, 考察了该电极对过氧化氢的电催化还原及对水合肼的电催化氧化特性. 该化学修饰电极可对过氧化氢和水合肼进行测定, 线性范围分别为过氧化氢2×10^－6～5×10^－3 mol/L, 水合肼7.2×10^－7～3.6×10^－4 mol/L. 利用磁性普鲁士蓝纳米颗粒制得的修饰电极具有催化性能高、稳定性好、表面易更新等优点.     

Electroanalytical Study of Prussian Blue Modified Glassy Carbon Paste Electrodes

Two types of glassy carbon (GC) powder (i.e., Sigradur K and Sigradur G) have been mixed with mineral oil to obtain glassy carbon paste electrodes (GCPE's). The electrochemical behavior of such electrodes at different percentages of glassy carbon has been evaluated with respect to the electrochemistry of ferricyanide as revealed with cyclic voltammetry and the best paste composition was chosen. GC was then modified with Prussian Blue (PB), mixed at different percentages with unmodified GC and with a fixed amount of mineral oil in order to obtain PB modified glassy carbon paste electrodes (PB‐GCPE's). PB‐GCPE's with different percentages of GC modified with PB (PB‐GC) were compared and the dependence on the amount of PB on their performances was evaluated by studying the parameters of cyclic voltammetry (i.e., current peak, ΔE_p, anodic and cathodic current ratio, charge density) and the amperometric response to H₂O₂. Data interpretation based on the GC surface area is presented. GCPE's with a selected amount of PB‐GC were then tested as H₂O₂ probes and all the analytical parameters together with the dependence on pH were evaluated. Some preliminary experiments with these electrodes assembled as glucose, lysine and lactate biosensors are also reported.     

Development of an Enzymeless/Mediatorless Glucose Sensor Using Ruthenium Oxide‐Prussian Blue Combinative Analogue

Presented in this work is the first step towards an enzymeless/mediatorless glucose sensor. We first observed remarkable electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose using combinative ruthenium oxide (RuOx)‐Prussian blue (PB) analogues (designated as mvRuOx‐RuCN, mv: mixed valent) at ca. 1.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in acidic media (pH 2 Na₂SO₄/H₂SO₄). Individual RuOx and PB analogs failed to give any such catalytic response. A high ruthenium oxidation state (i.e., oxy/hydroxy‐Ru^VII, E°≈1.4 V vs. RHE), normally occurring in strong alkaline conditions at RuOx‐based electrodes, was electrogenerated and stabilized (without any conventional disproportionation reaction) in the mvRuOx‐RuCN matrix for glucose catalysis. Detail X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies can fully support the observation. The catalyst was chemically modified onto a disposable screen‐printed carbon electrode and employed for the amperometric detection of glucose via flow injection analysis (FIA). This system has a linear detection range of 0.3–20 mM with a detection limit and sensitivity of 40 μM (S/N=3) and 6.2 μA/(mM cm²), respectively, for glucose. Further steps towards the elimination of interference and the extendibility to neutral pHs were addressed.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of pyridoxine (vitamin B<Subscript>6</Subscript>) on aluminum electrode modified by metallic palladium particles/iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (II) film

The electrocatalytic activity of a Prussian blue (PB) film on the aluminum electrode by taking advantage of the metallic palladium characteristic as an electron-transfer bridge (PB/Pd–Al) for electrooxidation of 2-methyl-3-hydroxy-4,5-bis (hydroxyl–methyl) pyridine (pyridoxine) is described. The catalytic activity of PB was explored in terms of Fe^III [Fe^III (CN)₆]/Fe^III [Fe^II (CN)₆]¹⁻ system. The best mediated oxidation of pyridoxine (PN) on the PB/Pd–Al-modified electrode was achieved in 0.5 M KNO₃ + 0.2 M potassium acetate of pH 6 at scan rate of 20 mV s⁻¹. The mechanism and kinetics of the catalytic oxidation reaction of PN were monitored by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results were explained using the theory of electrocatalytic reactions at chemically modified electrodes. The charge transfer-rate limiting reaction step is found to be a one-electron abstraction, whereas a two-electron charge transfer reaction is the overall oxidation reaction of PN by forming pyridoxal. The value of α, k, and D are 0.5, 1.2 × 10² M⁻¹ s⁻¹, and 1.4 × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹, respectively. Further examination of the modified electrodes shows that the modifying layers (PB) on the Pd–Al substrate have reproducible behavior and a high level of stability after posing it in the electrolyte or Pyridoxine solutions for a long time.     

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).