Investigation of Ig.G adsorption and the effect on electrochemical responses at titanium dioxide electrode

The adsorption of Immunoglobulin G on a titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) electrode surface was investigated using (125)I radiolabeling and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). (125)I radiolabeling was used to determine the extent of protein adsorption, while EIS was used to ascertain the effect of the adsorbed protein layer on the electrode double layer capacitance and electron transfer between the TiO(2) electrode and the electrolyte. The adsorbed amounts of Ig.G agreed well with previous results and showed approximately monolayer coverage. The amount of adsorbed protein increased when a positive potential was applied to the electrode, while the application of a negative potential resulted in a decrease. Exposure to solutions of Ig.G resulted in a decrease of the double layer capacitance (C) and an increase in the charge-transfer resistance (R(2)) at the electrode solution interface. As more Ig.G adsorbed onto the electrode surface, the extent of C and R(2) variation increased. These capacitance and charge-transfer resistance variations were attributed to the formation of a proteinaceous layer on the electrode surface during exposure.     

The effect of pH,chloride ion and background electrolyte concentration on the SERS of acidified pyridine solutions

Surface enhanced Raman spectra of pyridine are reported as a function of pH, halide concentration and background electrolyte concentration. The assignments of pyridinium bands are given in the range 100–4000 cm^?1, and the low frequency band around 235 cm^?1 is discussed. It is found that to obtain a pyridinium spectrum, the presence of halide is necessary. Background electrolyte concentration does not affect the intensity of the pyridine spectrum but greatly affects that of pyridinium. On the basis of the dependence of the intensity of pyridinium on chloride and background electrolyte concentrations, pyridinium is considered not be directly adsorbed on the electrode surface but rather located in the diffuse double layer and associated with specifically adsorbed chloride to form an ion pair.The in-situ measurement of pH and the SERS of pyridine and pyridinium during a pH titration reveal a linear relation between surface pH and bulk pH. Specifically adsorbed chloride causes a decrease in the surface pH. This decrease is explained by a shift of the electrostatic potential at the outer Helmholtz plane caused by specific adsorption of chloride.     

Adsorption of Cl− ions on bismuth from ethanol

The specific adsorption of Cl^? ions at the bismuth-ethanol interface has been studied both in the solutions of mixed electrolytes with constant ionic strength and in the binary LiCl solutions by the method of measuring the potential dependence of differential capacity of bismuth. The charge due to specifically adsorbed anions was calculated from the experimental capacity data. It was found that in the case of specific adsorption of Cl^? ions at the bismuth—ethanol interface the conditions of undercharged as well as recharded surface of electrode could be observed experimentally. The analysis of the results obtained by fitting the charge of specifically adsorbed ions to the modified virial isotherm including the diffuse layer correction term suggests that in the conditions of recharge of the bismuth surface cations enter the inner part of the double layer and a considerable ionic association occurs in the inner layer. A procedure has been proposed for calculating the charge due to cations in the inner layer, for determining the actual value of the outer Helmholtz plane potential and for evaluating the real parameters of the adsorption isotherm. The reliability of the results of calculations was verified by comparing the data obtained by the method of mixed electrolytes both considering and neglecting the ionic association in the inner layer with the data of the method of binary electrolyte.     

Anion-induced adsorption of ferrocenated nanoparticles

Au nanoparticles fully coated with omega-ferrocenyl hexanethiolate ligands, with average composition Au225(omega-ferrocenyl hexanethiolate)43, exhibit a unique combination of adsorption properties on Pt electrodes. The adsorbed layer is so robust that electrodes bearing submonolayer, monolayer, and multilayer quantities of these nanoparticles can be transferred to fresh electrolyte solutions and there exhibit stable ferrocene voltammetry over long periods of time. The kinetics of forming the robustly adsorbed layer are slow; monolayer and submonolayer deposition can be described by a rate law that is first order in nanoparticle concentration and in available electrode surface. The adsorption mechanism is proposed to involve entropically enhanced (multiple) ion-pair bridges between oxidized (ferrocenium) sites and certain specifically adsorbed electrolyte anions on the electrode. Adsorption is promoted by scanning to positive potentials (through the ferrocene wave) and by high concentrations of Bu4N+ X- electrolyte (X- = ClO4(-), PF6(-)) in the CH2Cl2 solvent; there is no adsorption if X- = p-toluenesulfonate or if the electrode is coated with an alkanethiolate monolayer. The electrode double layer capacity is not appreciably diminished by the adsorbed ferrocenated nanoparticles, which are gradually desorbed by scanning to potentials more negative than the electrode's potential of zero charge. At very slow scan rates, voltammetric current peaks are symmetrical and nearly reversible, but exhibit E(fwhm) considerably narrower (typically 35 mV) than ideally expected (90.6 mV, at 298 K) for a one-electron transfer or for reactions of multiple, independent redox centers with identical formal potentials. The peak narrowing is qualitatively explicable by a surface-activity effect invoking large, attractive lateral interactions between nanoparticles and, or alternatively, by a model in which ferrocene sites react serially at formal potentials that become successively altered as ion-pair bridges are formed. At faster scan rates, both deltaE(peak) and E(fwhm) increase in a manner consistent with a combination of uncompensated ohmic resistance of the electrolyte solution and of the adsorbed film, as distinct from behavior produced by slow electron transfer.     

Chemical Adsorption onto an ITO Substrate of Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotube Functionalized by Carboxylic Groups as an Efficient Support for Electrocatalyst

A single‐wall carbon nanotube functionalized by carboxylic groups (SWNT‐CA) was found to be adsorbed on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode by chemical interaction between carboxylic groups and the ITO surface. The adsorption experiments indicated that the narrow pH conditions (around pH 3.0) exist for its adsorption which is restricted by preparation of stable fluid dispersion (favorable at higher pH) and by the chemical interaction (favorable at lower pH). Atomic force microscopic (AFM) measurements suggest that fragmented SWNT‐CA are adsorbed, primarily lying on the surface. Electrochemical impedance analysis indicated that an electrochemical double layer capacitance of the SWNT‐CA/ITO electrode is considerably higher than that for the ITO electrode, suggesting that the interfacial area between the electrode surface and the electrolyte solution is enlarged by the SWNT‐CA layer. Pt particles were deposited as a catalyst on the bare ITO and SWNT‐CA‐coated ITO (SWNT‐CA/ITO) electrodes to give respective Pt‐modified electrodes (denoted as a Pt/ITO electrode and a Pt/SWNT‐CA/ITO electrode, respectively). The cathodic current for the Pt/SWNT‐CA/ITO electrode was 1.7 times higher than that for the Pt/ITO electrode at 0.0 V, showing that the Pt/SWNT‐CA/ITO electrode works more efficiently for O₂ reduction at 0.0 V due to the SWNT‐CA layer. The enhancement by the SWNT‐CA layer is also effective for electrocatalytic proton reduction. It could be ascribable to the enlarged interfacial area between the electrode surface and the electrolyte solution.     

Quantitative SNIFTIRS studies of (bi)sulfate adsorption at the Pt(111) electrode surface

Subtractively normalized interfacial Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy (SNIFTIRS) was applied to study (bi)sulfate adsorption on a Pt(111) surface in solutions of variable pH while maintaining a constant total bisulfate/sulfate ((bi)sulfate) concentration without the addition of an inert supporting electrolyte. The spectra were recorded for both the p- and s-polarizations of the IR radiation in order to differentiate between the IR bands of the (bi)sulfate species adsorbed on the electrode surface from those species located in the thin layer of electrolyte. The spectra recorded with p-polarized light consist of the IR bands from both the species adsorbed at the electrode surface and those present in the thin layer of electrolyte between the electrode surface and ZnSe window whereas the s-polarized spectra contain only the IR bands from the species located in the thin layer of electrolyte. A new procedure was developed to calculate the angle of incidence and thickness of the electrolyte between the Pt(111) electrode surface and the ZnSe IR transparent window. By combining these values with the knowledge of the optical constants for Pt, H(2)O and ZnSe, the mean square electric field strength (MSEFS) at the Pt(111) electrode surface and for thin layer of solution were accurately calculated. The spectra recorded using s-polarization were multiplied by the ratio of the average MSEFS for p- and s-polarizations and subtracted from the spectra recorded using p-polarization in order to remove the IR bands that arise from the species present within the thin layer cavity. In this manner, the resulting IR spectra contain only the IR bands for the anions adsorbed on the Pt(111) electrode surface. The spectra of adsorbed anions show little change with respect to the pH ranging from 1 to 5.6. This behavior indicates that the same species is predominantly adsorbed on the metal surface for this broad range of pH values and the results suggest that sulfate is the most likely candidate for this adsorbate.     

Observation of Ion Electrosorption in Metal–Organic Framework Micropores with In Operando Small‐Angle Neutron Scattering

A molecular‐level understanding of transport and adsorption mechanisms of electrolyte ions in nanoporous electrodes under applied potentials is essential to control the performance of double‐layer capacitors. Here, in operando small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS) is used to directly detect ion movements into the nanopores of a conductive metal–organic framework (MOF) electrode under operating conditions. Neutron‐scattering data reveals that most of the void space within the MOF is accessible to the solvent. Upon the addition of the electrolyte sodium triflate (NaOTf), the ions are adsorbed on the outer surface of the protrusions to form a 30 Å layer instead of entering the ionophobic pores in the absence of an applied charging potential. The changes in scattering intensity when potentials are applied suggests the ion rearrangement in the micropores following different mechanisms depending on the electrode polarization. These observations shed insights on ion electrosorption in electrode materials.     

THEORETICAL MODELING OF IONIC SURFACTANT ADSORPTION ON MINERAL OXIDE SURFACES

A model for the adsorption of ionic surfactants on oppositely charged solid surfaces of uniform charge density is developed. The model is based on the assumption that, on the solid surface, adsorbed surfactant monomers, monolayered and bilayered surfactant aggregates of different sizes and specifically adsorbing ions of added electrolyte constitute a mixture of hard discs. It means that only excluded area interactions between the surface discs are taken into account. To avoid a rapid two-dimensional condensation of the adsorbed surfactant the potential energy per molecule in the surface aggregates, which is a sum of chemical and electrostatic interactions, is assumed to decrease linearly with the increasing aggregate size. The electrostatic interactions of ionic species with the charged solid surface are described in terms of the Guy-Chapman theory of the double layer formation. The appropriate equations for adsorption isotherms of surfactant and electrolyte ions are derived and used to predict the experimental adsorption isotherms of DTAB on the precipitated silica at two different salt concentrations in the aqueous solution, On the basis of the obtained results the evolution of the adsorbed phase structure and the charge of silica particles with an increasing surface coverage is discussed.     

Adsorption on well-defined solid surfaces: Bromide adsorption on a (110) face of silver

The adsorption of bromide has been studied on a (110) face of silver by means of mixed solutions with hexafluorophosphate as base electrolyte. From the differential capacity-potential curves, the adsorbed charge of bromide was determined as functions of the electrode charge and the potential. The components of the inner-layer capacity have been determined for the two peaks always observed on the (110) face in the presence of specific adsorption. For the more negative peak potential, the component at constant amount adsorbed confirms the essential contribution of the orientation of water dipoles to the existence of this peak. On the other hand, the component at constant electrode charge indicates a non0linear electrode charge dependence of the standard Gibbs energy of adsorption. For the less negative peak potential, the two components of the inner-layer capacity seem to show that the bromide adsorption is mainly responsible for the appearance of the second peak.Different structures of the layer of adsorbed ions are proposed for different coverages of the surface. A pseudohexagonal structure, equivalent to the c (4×2) structure, corresponds to the adsorbed charge determined at saturation.     

Atomic force microscopy study of cellulose surface interaction controlled by cellulose binding domains

Colloidal probe microscopy has been used to study the interaction between model cellulose surfaces and the role of cellulose binding domain (CBD), peptides specifically binding to cellulose, in interfacial interaction of cellulose surfaces modified with CBDs. The interaction between pure cellulose surfaces in aqueous electrolyte solution is dominated by double layer repulsive forces with the range and magnitude of the net force dependent on electrolyte concentration. AFM imaging reveals agglomeration of CBD adsorbed on cellulose surface. Despite an increase in surface charge owing to CBD binding to cellulose surface, force profiles are less repulsive for interactions involving, at least, one modified surface. Such changes are attributed to irregularity of the topography of protein surface and non-uniform distribution of surface charges on the surface of modified cellulose. Binding double CBD hybrid protein to cellulose surfaces causes adhesive forces at retraction, whereas separation curves obtained with cellulose modified with single CBD show small adhesion only at high ionic strength. This is possibly caused by the formation of the cross-links between cellulose surfaces in the case of double CBD.     

Structure of electrical double layer at gold electrode in cyanide solution

The potential distribution in electrical double layer is calculated, basing on the data on the electrode charge and cyanide-ion adsorption at the gold electrode. It is shown that the integral capacitances of regions in the dense layer are not unambiguous functions of the electrode potential or charge per se, but depend also on the amount of specifically adsorbed ions Γ. A function is proposed for the describing of the Γ dependence of the dense layer integral capacitances.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of nanocolloidal amorphous silica particles: Part I

Explicit molecular dynamics simulations were applied to a pair of amorphous silica nanoparticles in aqueous solution, with diameter of 4.4 nm and with four different background electrolyte concentrations, to extract the mean force acting between the two silica nanoparticles. Dependences of the interparticle forces on the separation and the background electrolyte concentration were demonstrated. The nature of the interaction of the counterions with charged silica surface sites (deprotonated silanols) was investigated. A "patchy" double layer of adsorbed sodium counterions was observed. Dependences of the interparticle potential of mean force on the separation and the background electrolyte concentration were demonstrated. Direct evidence of the solvation forces is presented in terms of changes of the water ordering at the surfaces of the isolated and double nanoparticles. The nature of the interaction of the counterions with charged silica surface sites (deprotonated silanols) was investigated in terms of quantifying the effects of the number of water molecules separately inside each pair of nanoparticles by defining an impermeability measure. A direct correlation was found between the impermeability (related to the silica surface "hairiness") and the disruption of water ordering. Differences in the impermeability between the two nanoparticles are attributed to differences in the calculated electric dipole moment.     

The double layer and ion adsorption at the interface between two non miscible solutions: Part I. Interfacial tension measurements for the water-nitrobenzene tetraalkylammonium bromide systems

The classical treatment of the double layer has been extended to the interface between two immiscible solutions. The model presented is composed of an inner compact layer, characterized by a dipolar potential drop, between two diffuse type layers. The systems studied are composed of C₂ to C₅ quaternary ammonium bromides at partition equilibrium between water and nitrobenzene for which the inner potential difference, for a given electrolyte, is independent, at least in the lower concentration range, of the concentration. Drop weight interfacial measurements and the use of the Gouy-Chapman approach show that the tetraethyl-, tetrapropyl- and tetrabutylammonium ions are not adsorbed within the inner compact layer, and the dipolar potential drop of this layer can then be determined. Tetrapentylammonium ions on the contrary are specifically adsorbed but the amount of adsorbed ions within the compact inner layer cannot be evaluated because of the impossibility, in this case, of determining the dipolar potential drop.     

Adhesion between Silica Particle and Mica Surfaces in Water and Electrolyte Solutions

An atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to study the adhesion between a silica sphere and a mica plate in pure water and solutions of monovalent cations (LiCl, NaCl, KCl, and CsCl). It is found that the adhesive force depends not only on the electrolyte concentration but also on the hydration enthalpy of cations and the contact time of the particle on the surface. Possible mechanisms by which the observed phenomena can be explained consistently are discussed extensively. It is suggested that the adhesive force is closely related to the structure of the layer of cations and water molecules adsorbed on the surfaces: the strong adhesive force is obtained when highly hydrated cations (Li(+), Na(+)) are adsorbed to form a thick but weakly adsorbed layer, while the weak adhesive force is observed when poorly hydrated cations (Cs(+), K(+)) are adsorbed to form a thin but strongly adsorbed layer. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Specimen transfer from the electrolyte to the UHV in a closed system and some examinations of the double layer on Cu

A transfer system is described which permits the electrochemical preparation of specimens in a purified argon atmosphere and their transport into the UHV for surface analysis. This transfer prevents contamination and oxide formation on semi-noble metals. Reactive metals from only a few monolayers of oxide. This permits examination of electrochemically prepared metal surfaces, which is otherwise not possible. For hydrophobic copper surfaces, the composition of the electrical double layer may be studied. The extraction of the electrode strips the electrolyte off in the vicinity of the Helmholtz layer. For NaClO₄ solutions, the amount of Na⁺ ions and the excess charge decrease linearly with the electrode potential in agreement with a constant electrode capacity. The formation of a prepassive and passive layer leads to a pronounced increase of adsorbed Na⁺ ions. For Cs₂SO₄, specific and co-adsorption of both ions is observed with a minimum in the region of the potential of zero charge.     

Numerical analysis of Debye screening effect in electrode surface potential mapping by scanning electrochemical potential microscopy

We investigate the effects of the probe apex geometry, overlap of the electric double layers (EDLs) and Debye screening on surface potential mapping with scanning electrochemical potential microscopy (SECPM). The simulation consists of scanning a tip parallel to the electrode surface over a charged hemispherical nano-particle adsorbed on the electrode surface. As expected, a clear dependence of the apparent size of the imaged particle on the probe apex geometry has been noticed. The Debye screening has a significant effect on the probe sensitivity, while the electrolyte concentration affects the observed size of the imaged particles.     

New accelerated method of impregnation by aqueous electrolyte of carbon black gas-diffusion electrodes to study their structural and electrochemical characteristics

A new method of fast impregnation of carbon black gas-diffusion hydrophobized electrodes is suggested under their cathodic polarization in an alkaline aqueous solution of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) at the potentials of hydrogen evolution. As dependent on the quantitative content of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in the electrode, current density, time, TBAB concentration, various degree of electrode wetting is observed, up to nearly complete electrode flooding in just several hours. When electrodes are stored, their original electrolyte porosity is not recovered. the electrode with 8 wt % of PTFE was used to show the effect of the electrode flooding degree on the double layer capacity, average diameter of electrolyte pores, their surface area and activity in the case of oxygen reduction. This method may be used for simulation of the process of flooding of gas-diffusion electrodes by electrolyte in the course of their prolonged operation.     

The Direct Electrochemical Detection of Amino Acids at a Platinum Electrode in an Alkaline Chromatographic Effluent

Abstract

It is the general experience that most organic compounds including amino acids do not produce reversible or even quasi-reversible anodic waves at a Pt electrode under conditions of conventional cyclic voltammetry. Furthermore, amperometric detection of these compounds at a constant electrode potential is not successful because of the accumulation of adsorbed reaction products and/or an oxide film at the electrode surface. However, it is observed that a Pt electrode surface is cleaned quite effectively of adsorbed organic molecles and radicals simultanaeously with the anodic formation of the oxide layer. This oxidation of adsorbed organic species is concluded to be electrocatalyzed by PtOH formed as the first step in the production of the oxide layer (PtO). A pulsed-potential waveform applied at a frequency of ca. 1 Hz is demonstrated to provide direct amperometric detection of adsorbed amino acids at a Pt electrode. Satisfactory analytical precision (i.e., < 3% rel. std. dev.) results because the waveform reproducibly generates the catalytically active surface state at the Pt electrode. Both primary and secondary amino acids are determined with satisfactory detection limits: e.g., ca. 13 ng for glycine, 7 ng for phenylamine and 23 ng for hydroxyproline in 50-μL samples. Analytical response is concluded to depend on the adsorption isotherm of the amino acid being detected. Hence, the calibration plot of I/I_peak vs. 1/C^D is linear for low surface coverages. Results are shown for amperometric detection of a synthetic mixture of amino acids by anion-exchange chromatography using NaOH as the eluent and supporting electrolyte.     

Hydroxyl radicals electrochemically generated in situ on a boron-doped diamond electrode

The hydroxyl radicals electrochemically generated in situ on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode have been investigated for the first time in different electrolyte media, over the whole pH range between 1 and 11. A more extensive characterisation of BDD electrochemical properties is very important to understand the reactivity of organic compounds towards electrochemical oxidation on the BDD electrode, which is related to their interaction with adsorbed hydroxyl radicals due to water oxidation on the electrode surface. An oxidation peak corresponding to the transfer of one electron and one proton was observed in pH <9 electrolytes, associated with the water discharge process and electrochemical generation of hydroxyl radicals, which can interact and enhance the electro-oxidation of organic compounds. In pH >9 electrolytes the electrochemical generation of hydroxyl radicals was not observed; ammonia buffer electrolyte gave a pH-independent peak corresponding to the ammonia oxidation reaction. Additionally, for most pH values studied, a few small peaks associated with the electrochemical interaction between non-diamond carbon species on the doped diamond electrode surface and the electrolyte were also seen, which suggests that the doped diamond is relatively unreactive, but not completely inert, and the electrogenerated hydroxyl radicals play a role as mediator in the oxidation of organics.     

Relationship between the reactions of hydrogen sorption/desorption and methanol oxidation on bifunctional Ni/Pd electrode in alkaline solution

The present paper is aimed at studying the influence of the hydrogen sorption/desorption process occurring on the layered nickel–palladium (Ni/Pd) electrode on the kinetics of the reaction of methanol oxidation in strong alkaline KOH solution. The electrodes were prepared by chemical deposition of a thin layer of porous palladium on a nickel foam support. A scanning electron microscope was used for studying the morphology of both the nickel support and the porous palladium layer. The mechanism of the anodic desorption of hydrogen changes depending on whether or not 6 M KOH electrolyte is admixed with methanol. It was shown that, in the first cycle of the cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements, the anodic peak current and peak charge related to the oxidative desorption of hydrogen significantly decrease due to the presence of methanol in KOH. This effect is attributed to the obstacles in hydrogen sorption due to the formation of a passivating layer on the Pd surface composed of both adsorbed methanol molecules and the intermediate products involving adsorbed CO. On the other hand, hydrogen desorbing from Pd electrode exerts influence on the kinetics of the reaction of methanol oxidation. Ni/Pd electrode undergoes considerable reactivation due to the potentiostatic saturation with hydrogen at ?1.1 V, followed by the ease in hydrogen desorption. The CV measurements proved that, after such a treatment, the peak of hydrogen desorption partially overlaps the double peak of methanol oxidation and, in consequence, the rate of methanol oxidation is enhanced. The positive effect of hydrogen releasing from the electrode on the kinetics of the reaction of methanol oxidation is ascribed to the anti-poison behavior consisting in the reaction of hydrogen radicals with intermediates adsorbed on the Pd surface.