Cyclic Voltammograms of Ferrocene on Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs)‐Modified Edge Plane Pyrolytic Graphite (EPPG) Electrode in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) of 1‐Ethyl‐3‐Methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate (EMIBF4)

In this work, the electrochemical behavior of ferrocene (Fc) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) of 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIBF₄) on glass carbon (GC), edge plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG) and multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs)‐modified EPPG electrodes, respectively. The results demonstrated that on GC electrode, pairs of well‐defined reversible peaks were observed, while for the electrode of EPPG, the peak potential separation (ΔE_p) is obviously larger than the theoretical value of 59 mV, hinting that the electrode of EPPG is distinguished from the commonly used electrode, consistent with the previous proposition that EPPG has many “defects”. To obtain an improved electrochemical response, multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified on the electrode of EPPG; the increased peak current and promoted peak potential separation not only proved the existence of “defects” in MWCNTs, but also supported that “creating active points” on an electrode is the main contribution of MWCNTs. Initiating the electrochemical research of Fc on the MWCNTs‐modified EPPG electrode in RTILs and verifying the presence of “defects” on both EPPG and MWCNTs using cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of Fc obtained in RTILs of EMIBF₄, is the main contribution of this preliminary work.     

Influence of Nafion Coatings and Surfactant on the Stripping Voltammetry of Heavy Metals at Bismuth‐Film Modified Carbon Film Electrodes

Nafion polymer coated bismuth‐film‐modified carbon film electrodes have been investigated for reducing the influence of contaminants such as surfactants in the anodic stripping voltammetry of trace metal ions. The influence of the coating on electrode response has been tested with both ex situ and in situ bismuth film deposition, with and without the polymer coating. The electrode assemblies and interfacial characteristics in the presence of the non‐ionic surfactant Triton‐X‐100 have been probed with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Nafion coating successfully decreases the adsorption of Triton on the bismuth film surface, and demonstrates that this strategy allows measurement of these trace metals in environmental samples containing surfactants.     

Resistance to Surfactant and Protein Fouling Effects at Conducting Diamond Electrodes

Boron‐doped diamond thin‐film electrodes display negligible fouling effects in the presence of high levels of surface‐active materials, including proteins. Dramatic improvements in the stability of the analyte response (compared to common glassy carbon and carbon paste electrodes) are illustrated using bovine serum albumin (BSA), gelatin, and Triton X‐100 in connection with repetitive square‐wave voltammetric (SWV) measurements. The voltammetric response of ascorbic acid at the diamond electrode exhibits negligible shifts in peak potentials and minimal depressions of current signals over a wide range of surfactant concentrations (0–750 ppm). For example, the diamond electrode exhibited 70, 50 and 60 mV potential shifts for 10 repetitive voltammetric scans in the presence of 100 ppm BSA, gelatin and Triton X‐100, respectively, compared to 120, 190, and 280 mV shifts observed at the glassy carbon electrode. Furthermore, only 4.3 and 6.2% of the initial current decays were observed in the presence of 100 ppm Triton X‐100 and gelatin, respectively (compared to 45.2 and 34.4% diminutions at the glassy carbon electrode). Such improved performance was also confirmed from the SWV measurements of uric acid, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and catechol. The greatly improved resistance to surfactant interference reflects the fact that the as‐grown diamond thin film, composed of oxide‐free and hydrogen‐terminated surface, has a relatively lower surface energy and minimal electrostatic attributes, either specific or general, so that little adsorption of surface‐active agents occurs. The topographic AFM images of the diamond electrode surface confirm a negligible BSA fouling effect after repetitive SWV measurements. Such enhanced antifouling features make diamond electrodes very attractive for numerous real‐life electroanalytical applications.     

Comparison of Boron‐Doped Diamond and Glassy Carbon Electrodes for Determination of Procaine Hydrochloride

The electrochemical oxidation of procaine hydrochloride (PC?HCL, 2‐diethylaminoethyl 4‐aminobenzoate hydrochloride) was investigated at as‐deposited boron‐doped diamond (ad‐BDD) electrode, anodically oxidized BDD (ao‐BDD) electrode and glassy carbon (GC) electrode using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Well‐defined cyclic voltammograms were obtained for PC?HCL oxidation with high signal‐to‐background (S/B) ratio, low tendency for adsorption, good reproducibility and long‐term stability at ad‐BDD electrode, demonstrating its superior electrochemical behavior and significant advantages in contrast to ao‐BDD and GC electrode. At 100 μM PC?HCL, the voltammetric S/B ratio was nearly one order of magnitude higher at an ad‐BDD electrode than that at a GC electrode. In a separate set of experiments for oxidation of 100 μM PC?HCL, 96%, 92% and 84% of the initial oxidation peak current was retained at the ad‐BDD, ao‐BDD and GC electrode, respectively, by stirring the solution after the tenth cycle. The current response was linearly proportional to the square root of the scan rate within the range 10–1000 mV s^?1 in 10 μM PC?HCL solutions, indicating that the oxidation process was diffusion‐controlled with negligible adsorption at an ad‐BDD surface. The good linearity was observed for a concentration range from 5 to 200 μM with a linear equation of y=0.03517x+0.65346 (r=0.999), and the detection limit was 0.5 μM for oxidation of PC?HCL at the ad‐BDD electrode. The ad‐BDD electrode could maintain 100% of its original activity after intermittent use for 3 months.     

First Order Derivative Voltammetry on the in situ Surfactant Modified Electrode for Naringin Quantification

Carboxylated multi‐walled carbon nanotubes based glassy carbon electrodes (MWNT‐COOH/GCE) modified in situ with surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) and Triton X100) have been tested for the naringin determination. The effect of surfactant nature and concentration on the voltammetric characteristics of naringin has been evaluated. Anionic 100 μM SDS shows the highest 2.7‐fold increase of the oxidation currents in comparison to MWNT‐COOH/GCE. The irreversible electrooxidation of naringin is surface‐controlled process with the one electron and one proton transfer. Under conditions of first order derivative linear sweep voltammetry in Britton‐Robinson buffer (BRB) pH 8.0, the analytical ranges of 0.75–25 and 25–100 μM with the LOD and LOQ of 0.14 and 0.46 μM, respectively, have been obtained. The electrode response is selective in the presence of ascorbic, gallic and p‐coumaric acids as well as quercetin, catechin and rutin. The method has been applied for the naringin quantification in grapefruit juices.     

On the Adsorption and Reduction of the Herbicide Picloram on Mercury and Carbon Electrodes

At concentrations higher than 2?10^?4 M , and below pH 3, the cyclic voltammograms of picloram (=4‐amino‐3,5,6‐trichloropyridine‐2‐carboxylic acid) on Hg electrodes show two prepeak systems (named I and II attending to the proximity to the main reductions peak), which can be attributed to the weak adsorption of reactant and the strong adsorption of the product at the electrode surface. The system II is due to the uncharged form of picloram, and system I to the picloram protonated at the pyridine N‐atom. Small amounts of the surfactant Triton X‐100 (=α‐[4‐(1,1,3,3‐tetramethylbutyl)phenyl]‐ω‐hydroxypoly(oxyethane‐1,2‐diyl)) cause the disappearance of system I, the shift of system II, and also affect the intensities and widths of anodic and cathodic peaks but not the charge passed in each peak. Thus, the adsorption process responsible for the appearance of system I is inhibited by the presence of Triton; by contrast, the process corresponding to system II is only modified by the surfactant, becoming an electrochemical process occurring at the potentials corresponding to system II, which is more reversible than that observed in the absence of Triton. The addition of Triton permitted the analysis of the main reduction process. Convolution voltammetry of the main reduction peak is consistent with the loss of a Cl‐atom in equilibrium which occurs after a reversible electron transfer and is followed by the reductions of both species present in the equilibrium (Scheme 2). This is also the reduction mechanism on a glassy carbon electrode but the electron transfer on the carbon electrode increases with respect to the mercury electrodes; in addition, the loss of the Cl‐atom does not take place on the electrode surface. From the recording of differential capacity–potential curves, it was concluded that picloram is adsorbed on the carbon electrode; but this adsorption is too weak to induce the appearance of prepeak systems.     

Electrochemical Determination of Oxalate at Pyrolytic Graphite Electrodes

The electrocatalytic oxidation of oxalate at several carbon based electrodes including basal plane (BPPG) and edge plane (EPPG) pyrolytic graphite and glassy carbon (GC) electrode, was studied. The electrodes were examined for the sensing of oxalate ions in aqueous solutions and all three electrodes showed a response to oxalate additions. The peak of oxalate oxidation at BPPG electrode appeared at lower potential, +1.13 V vs. SCE, than at EPPG (+1.20 V vs. SCE) and GC electrode (+1.44 V vs. SCE). Oxalate oxidation at BPPG electrode was studied in more details for response characteristics (potential and current), effects of pH, temporal characteristics of response potential and current. The results indicated that oxalate oxidation proceeds as two‐electron process at the BPPG electrode with a transfer coefficient β and a diffusion coefficient D evaluated to be 0.45 and 1.03 (±0.04)×10^?5 cm² s^?1 respectively. The BPPG electrode was found to be suitable for oxalate determination in aqueous media showing linear response to oxalate concentration with a sensitivity of 0.039 AM^?1 and a limit of detection of 0.7 μM.     

Electrochemical Derivatization of Acetaminophen for Indirect Determination of Eflornithine Using β‐CD Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

In the present work, the oxidation of acetaminophen in the absence and presence of eflornithine was electrochemically investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Our results indicate that N‐acetyl‐p‐benzoquinone imine (NAPQI) produced from two‐electron electrochemical oxidation of acetaminophen participates in a Michael addition reaction with eflornithine via an ECE mechanism. This fact was used for the determination of eflornithine using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique on the surface of β‐Cyclodextrin modified glassy carbon (β‐CD/GC) electrode. β‐CD/GC electrode was prepared through an electrodeposition procedure and characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. Under optimum conditions, the β‐CD/GC electrode showed a good linearity as a function of the eflornithine concentration over the range from 5 to 100 μM with detection limit and quantification limit of 1.94 and 5.8 μM, respectively. Finally, the proposed protocol was confirmed to be successful in determination of eflornithine in human urine samples with good recovery, ranging from 97.2 % to 104.8 %.     

Characterization of Kaolin Glassy Carbon Modified Electrodes: Preconcentration of 2‐Chlorophenol

In this paper we describe the use of two kaolin‐type aluminosilicate clays, a commercial ceramic‐grade kaolin (K) and a natural kaolin from mines in Bolívar State Venezuela (K‐Ve), for the preparation of film‐based clay‐modified glassy carbon electrodes. We examine their behavior during the preconcentration and subsequent anodic oxidation of 2‐chlorophenol. Kaolin samples were used as raw materials and modified with cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or nonionic surfactant, octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (TX100). The electrode polishing was the key step to produce stable films. 2‐Chlorophenol electrooxidation is favored by the presence of the surfactants in the film. The X‐ray patterns show that the kaolin K‐Ve includes quartz as nonclay mineral, while the kaolin K showed only diffraction peaks characteristic of kaolinite phase. This may be why the TX100/K‐Ve/GC electrode adsorbs more 2‐CPh than the TX100/K/GC electrode. On the other hand, analysis of the limiting currents obtained from hydrodynamic techniques indicated that the permeability of TX100/kaolin films is greater than that of CTAB/kaolin films. The TX100/K‐Ve/GC electrode showed excellent stability. A linear response range from 0.01mgL^?1 up to 0.1 mg L^?1 with a detection limit of 0.0016 mg L^?1 was observed in the optimized conditions.     

A Simple and Highly Selective Determination of Telmisartan at Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Modified Pyrolytic Graphite Surface

A simple, facile, selective and cost effective electrochemical method is proposed for the determination of telmisartan (TMS); a drug used for hypertension. A sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) modified edge plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG) is prepared by simple immersion of EPPG in SDS solution at concentration greater than critical micelle concentration (CMC). The modified sensor exhibited superior sensing properties towards the oxidation of TMS. The modified surface was characterized by using the Energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The quantitative investigations of the TMS were performed by applying the square wave voltammetry. The micelles of SDS form a pseudo complex with cation radical of TMS and catalyse the oxidation. The proposed sensor shows the linear calibration plot in the concentration range of 5–100 μM with sensitivity 0.2983 μA/μM and the limit of the detection of the sensor was found to be 0.082 μM. The specificity of the developed sensor was also evaluated in the presence of commonly present interfering substances in biological samples. The amount of TMS excreted in urine of the patients undergoing treatment has also been determined. The proposed method can be effectively applied for the investigation of TMS in pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples.     

Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Detection of Arsenic(III) at Gold Nanoparticle‐Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes Prepared by Electrodeposition in the Presence of Various Additives

The simple, fast and highly sensitive anodic stripping voltammetric detection of As(III) at a gold (Au) nanoparticle‐modified glassy carbon (GC) (nano‐Au/GC) electrode in HCl solution was extensively studied. The Au nanoparticles were electrodeposited onto GC electrode using chronocoulometric technique via a potential step from 1.1 to 0 V vs. Ag|AgCl|NaCl (sat.) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ containing Na[AuCl₄] in the presence of KI, KBr, Na₂S and cysteine additives. Surfaces of the resulting nano‐Au/GC electrodes were characterized with cyclic voltammetry. The performances of the nano‐Au/GC electrodes, which were prepared using different concentrations of Na[AuCl₄] (0.05–0.5 mM) and KI additive (0.01–1.0 mM) at various deposition times (10–30 s), for the voltammetric detection of As(III) were examined. After the optimization, a high sensitivity of 0.32 mA cm^?2 μM^?1 and detection limit of 0.024 μM (1.8 ppb) were obtained using linear sweep voltammetry.     

A promising dehydrogenase-based bioanode for a glucose biosensor and glucose/O2 biofuel cell

A new type of dehydrogenase-based amperometric glucose biosensor was constructed using glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) which was immobilized on the edge-plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG) electrode modified with poly(phenosafranin)-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (PPS-SWCNTs). The PPS-SWCNT-modified EPPG electrode was prepared by electropolymerization of phenosafranin on the EPPG electrode which had been previously coated with SWCNTs. The performance of the GDH/PPS-SWCNT/EPPG bioanode was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry in the presence of glucose. The GDH/PPS-SWCNT/EPPG electrode possesses promising characteristics as a glucose sensor: a wide linear dynamic range of 50 to 700 μM, low detection limit of 0.3 μM, fast response time (1-2 s), high sensitivity (96.5 μA cm(-2) mM(-1)), and anti-interference and anti-fouling abilities. Moreover, the performance of the GDH/PPS-SWCNT/EPPG bioanode was tested in a glucose/O(2) biofuel cell. The maximum power density delivered by the assembled glucose/O(2) biofuel cell could reach 64.0 μW cm(-2) at a cell voltage of 0.3 V with 40 mM glucose.     

Electrochemically Degraded Dopamine Film for the Determination of Dopamine

A dopamine (DA) polymer was deposited electrochemically on to a glassy carbon (GC) surface until the electrode surface was passivated. The DA film on the GC surface was re‐formed for high sensitivity and reproducibility by electrochemical degradation. The re‐formed electrode was sensitive and selective in the determination of DA in the presence of ascorbic acid. The linear range obtained by square‐wave voltammetry was between 0.1 and 2.1 μM (R=0.996, n=6) with a sensitivity of 1.2 μA μM^?1 and a detection limit (S/N=3) of 0.04 μM. The electropolymerized DA film was stable and the re‐formed electrode was reproducible for DA determination.     

Determination of Sb(V) Using Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry at an Unmodified Edge Plane Pyrolytic Graphite Electrode

Antimony(V) determination at an unmodified edge plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG) electrode using anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) by depositing beyond the hydrogen wave is shown in this paper. By depositing beyond the hydrogen wave, we report a sensitive method to determine pentavalent antimony at a carbon electrode in 0.25 M HCl. Using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV), a bare EPPG electrode gave a detection limit of 5.8±0.02 nM without the need for surface modification. This level is greatly within the EU limit for drinking water of 40 nM.     

RNA Modified Electrodes for Simultaneous Determination of Dopamine and Uric Acid in the Presence of High Amounts of Ascorbic Acid

A promising electrochemical biosensor was fabricated by electrochemical grafting of ribonucleic acid (RNA) at 1.8 V (vs. SCE) on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) (denoted as RNA/GCE), for simultaneous detection of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) with coexistence of excess amount of ascorbic acid (AA). The electrode was characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques. The RNA modified layer on GCE exhibited superior catalytic ability and anionic exclusive ability in comparison with the DNA modified electrode. Three separated anodic DPV peaks were obtained at 0.312, 0.168 and ?0.016 V for UA, DA and AA, respectively, at the RNA/GCE in pH 7.0 PBS. In the presence of 2.0 mM AA, a linear range of 0.37 to 36 μM with a detection limit of 0.2 μM for DA, and in the range of 0.74 to 73 μM with a detection limit of 0.36 μM for UA were obtained. The co‐existence of 5000 fold AA did not interfere with the detection of DA or UA. The modified electrode shows excellent selectivity, good sensitivity and good stability.     

Determination of Uric Acid in the Presence of Ascorbic Acid Using Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐Modified Electrodes

A poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used to determine uric acid in the presence of ascorbic acid at physiological pH facilitating a peak potential separation of ascorbic acid and uric acid oxidation (ca. 365 mV), which is the largest value reported so far in the literature. Also, an analytical protocol involving differential pulse voltammetry has been developed using a microchip electrode for the determination of uric acid in the concentration range of 1 to 20 μM in presence of excess of ascorbic acid.     

Anodic-stripping voltammetry of heavy metals in the presence of organic surfactants

The efficacy of fumed silica for removal of sorption interferences by organic surfactants in the anodic-stripping voltammetry of heavy metals is demonstrated. Appropriate addition of silica to the sample solution rapidly "purifies" it from interfering surfactants during the nitrogen purge step. Up to at least 6 ppm of gelatin, Triton X-100, albumin or Liqui-Nox then does not affect the stripping response of cadmium, lead and zinc at the hanging mercury drop electrode. A relative standard deviation of 5.5% is obtained for 20 successive measurements of 1 x 10(-7)M lead in the presence of 2 ppm Triton X-100. Analogous improvements are observed at the mercury film electrode (in the presence of up to 60 ppm of these surfactants). The use of silica thus possesses the advantages of speed, efficiency, simplicity and low cost compared to other schemes for dealing with surfactant interferences in anodic-stripping voltammetry.     

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.     

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrodes for the Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination and Quantification of Curcumin in Turmeric

A sensitive electrochemical method for the determination and quantification of curcumin using adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdsSV) at a multiwalled carbon nanotube modified basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (MWCNT‐BPPG electrode) is presented exploiting the high surface area of the latter. Next the voltammetric behaviour of curcumin on the modified electrode is examined and AdsSV shown to be a sensitive method for quantifying curcumin. The adsorption of curcumin on the electrode surface is evidenced to follow a Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Linear calibration for curcumin in the range of 2–100 μM was obtained with a detection limit of 0.45 μM and a limit of quantification of 1.49 μM. For application to real samples of turmeric, a one‐step sample preparation in ethanol has developed providing a simple and rapid extraction procedure. The MWCNT‐BPPG electrode with AdsSV allowed the determination of curcumin equivalent in turmeric powder sample with recoveries in the range of 92–108 %. This facile and fast method will be useful for monitoring the quality of curcumin containing in commercial turmeric products.     

氯过氧化物酶修饰电极对一氯二甲酮的催化氯化

通过将氯过氧化物酶溶液(Chloroperoxidase, CPO)与Nafion分散的单壁碳纳米管分散液混合后直接滴涂到玻碳电极表面制得修饰电极. 这个固定了氯过氧化物酶的碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极, 在pH=5.0的磷酸缓冲溶液中测得的循环伏安曲线上有一对准可逆的氧化还原电流峰, 经过与裸电极和没有固定氯过氧化物酶的碳纳米管修饰电极上测得的循环伏安行为对比后确认, 碳纳米管对氯过氧化物酶与电极之间的电子传递反应具有很好的促进作用. 利用该修饰电极能催化一氯二甲酮氯化为二氯二甲酮, 无需添加过氧化氢作为反应启动剂, 紫外光谱的测试结果表明, 每摩尔氯过氧化物酶可催化氯化4.0×105 mol 的一氯二甲酮, 表现出很高的催化效率.