Calculating the Electrochemical Activity of Porous Electrodes of a Filled-up Type with an Immobilized Enzyme

The electrochemical activity of porous electrodes of a filled-up type with an immobilized enzyme is calculated with the aid of computer-aided modeling. The percolation properties of two-component (a mixture of dispersed particles of the substrate and the enzyme) and three-component (a carrier of a gas reactant is added) models of a porous electrode are investigated. Taking into account specific features inherent in the forming macroscopic clusters (collections of particles of one sort or another connected with one another), i.e. an electron cluster and a gas cluster, makes it possible to determine the concentration of an active catalyst which is capable of taking part in the electrochemical process. The calculation of the electrochemical activity is performed in two-component structures, where the process of the current generation is limited by diffusion limitations, and in three-component structures, where the process of the current generation is limited by ohmic limitations. Estimates of the current are performed using an oxygen porous electrode with Nafion and an enzyme as an example. The electrochemical characteristics of this model electrode are close to those obtained on laccase. Introducing a hydrophobizing agent into the active layer of the porous electrode (passing from two-component structures to three-component structures) produces a positive effect. Although the number of active molecules of the enzyme drops in this case by an order of magnitude, the liquidation of diffusion limitations eventually raises the magnitude of the current by approximately threefold. Calculations show that it is quite feasible to obtain currents of 0.2 A cm^–2 on a porous electrode 16 m thick at an overvoltage of 30 mV.     

Calculating Electrochemical Activity of Regular-Structure Porous Electrodes with an Immobilized Enzyme

A porous electrode of regular structure with an immobilized enzyme is studied. The electrode carcass, which consists of substrate particles, is a system of two sets of mutually perpendicular planes crossing one another (cellular structure). A monomolecular layer of enzyme molecules is deployed on the inner surface of such a porous substrate. In the center of each cell of the substrate gas pores, which are cylinders of porous grains of a hydrophobizing agent one grain thick, are situated. The rest of the cell space is filled by a solid polymer electrolyte. The ultimate goal of calculations is to estimate the electrochemical activity of such an electrode. The estimation is done for an oxygen electrode with an enzyme whose characteristics are close to those of laccase. The calculation assumes that active centers of enzyme molecules undergo a direct, i.e. without participation of mediators, reduction. It is shown that at an overvoltage of 30 mV, it would be possible to obtain a current density of 0.44 A cm^–2 in an electrode 16 m thick.     

Computer-aided Modeling of Porous Electrodes with an Immobilized Enzyme: Substrates with a Partially Regular Structure

In porous electrodes with an immobilized enzyme the substrate must have a high specific surface area, which must be accessible to landing onto it a maximum number of enzyme molecules. These demands are not easy to meet. Conceivable are limiting versions as follows: a stochastic substrate, where substrate particles (SP) are distributed in the volume randomly, and a regular substrate, where SP are distributed strictly regularly. Both versions of the organization of SP have advantages and disadvantages; therefore, in the paper studied is a third, intermediate, version, specifically, substrates with a partially regular structure. Shown is that there exists an optimum of values of fractal dimensionality for a regular base of a substrate, where, by somewhat sacrificing the amount of active enzymes, one can attain a considerable ease of the process of landing enzymes on the surface of a porous substrate. Calculations also show that of practical interest may be a porous substrate with a purely regular structure.     

Computer-Aided Simulation of Porous Electrodes of a Filled-up Type

In the paper, computer-aided simulation of porous electrodes of a filled-up type is done using two-dimensional lattices as an example. The attention is mainly focused on the simulation of porous electron-conducting substrates that are required to put the catalyst particles on. The principal parameter of the system is the share of the electron-conducting particles of the substrate. Calculated are the share of the electron-conducting particles of the substrate (a conducting cluster), the distribution of this quantity over the electrode thickness, and the number of exits made by a conducting cluster onto the rear surface of the electrode. The notion of transparency is introduced. The perimeter of a conducting cluster is determined. The number of active particles of a catalyst is found out. Two versions of the electrode functioning are investigated for catalysts-enzymes. In one version the electrochemical process proceeds no matter the position of the enzyme molecules. In the other, the electrochemical process takes place provided certain conditions of contact between enzyme molecules and a conducting cluster are ensured. Established is the region of optimum concentrations of components at which the electrochemical activity of the electrode is maximum.     

Computer Simulation of the Structure of Porous Electrodes with an Immobilized Enzyme and Nanosized Support Particles

The efficiency of the operation of a porous electrode with an immobilized enzyme is defined, in particular, by a lucky structure of its active layer, which can contain nanosized particles of the support. The composites of such a kind are prepared with the aid of methods of colloidal chemistry. The aim of this particular investigation is to perform a computer simulation of processes of coagulation of particles of the support and their possible heterocoagulation with molecules of the enzyme. Algorithms of the formation of nanocomposite structures in solution are suggested. Calculations show that the concentration of the enzyme molecules in the nanocomposite structures cannot exceed a certain critical value. On the other hand, at a fixed value of the concentration of the enzyme molecules, the concentration of the support particles must not fall below a certain threshold quantity, which provides for the passing of current through the active layer. In order for all the enzyme molecules, rather than for a fraction of these, in the composite to take part in the process of bioelectrocatalysis, the concentration of support particles must be increased even higher, to an optimum value.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 6, 2005, pp. 738–747.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Chirkov, Rostokin.     

Calculation of Effective Electroconductivity of Porous Electrodes with Pores Partially Filled by a Conductive Liquid

A method for calculating the effective electroconductivity of porous media filled in part by a conductive liquid is suggested. Its principal advantage is the possibility to automate calculations with the aid of a personal computer. Porous electrodes are simulated by a simple cubic lattice of links. A calculation of the dependence of the effective electroconductivity of such structures on the share of conductive links (with each link having a unit resistance) is performed. The calculation stages are as follows. (1) Links of percolation clusters are divided into dead-end links that make no contribution to electroconduction and through links. (2) A percolation cluster is freed of dead-end links and there remains a trunk that consist of through links. (3) A trunk is viewed as a bulk equivalent electric circuit, for which a computer performs the recording of all the Kirchhoff equations. (4) A computer-aided calculation of a set of Kirchhoff equations is performed, which permits the determination of the distribution of potential and current over the thickness of a porous electrode and, in particular, the magnitude of the effective electroconductivity of the porous electrode.     

硝酸还原酶在巯基自组装膜上的电化学性质

应用自组装技术将硝酸还原酶 (NR)构筑在硫醇自组装单分子膜上 ,研究了Au/半胱胺 /NR和Au/半胱胺 /NR/卵磷脂两种酶电极在磷酸缓冲液中的直接电化学行为     

以金属有机骨架材料HKUST-1为模板制备多孔聚苯胺电极及其超级电容器性能研究

以涂敷在碳布基体上的金属有机骨架多孔材料HKUST-1为硬模板,使用单极脉冲法沉积聚苯胺制备了具有电活性的多孔复合电极Micro-PANI/CC,同时以空白碳布(Carbon Cloth,CC)为基体制备了聚苯胺电极PANI/CC,并研究、比较了它们的电化学电容器性能. 使用XRD、SEM分析了所得电极的结构,结果显示电极Micro-PANI/CC表面具有大量的纳米孔状结构. 在0.5 mol·L^-1硫酸为电解液的体系中测试了循环伏安、恒电流充放电、阻抗以及稳定性等特性,在扫速为2 mV·s^-1 时,电极Micro-PANI/CC和PANI/CC的比电容分别为895.6 F·g^-1和547.6 F·g^-1,在其它测试条件相同的情况下,前者的比电容保持在后者的1.64倍以上,且具有更好的倍率特性、更低的电阻和较好的稳定性等特点,说明这种以HKUST-1为模板形成的多孔聚苯胺更适于超级电容器电极材料.     

Computer Simulation of Porous Electrodes with Immobilized Enzymes: The Percolation Properties of Multicomponent Structures

The percolation characteristics of porous electrodes with immobilized enzymes are calculated. It is presumed that active centers of the enzymes undergo direct oxidation or reduction on the electrode. Two versions of a three-dimensional electrode structure consisting of particles of identical size are studied. In one, the frame of the porous electrode (PE) comprises only those parts of the support that conduct electrons. In the other, the electrode is a two-component structure capable of ensuring the supply of two participants of the electrochemical process to the enzymes. Calculated are: the fraction of the support parts that conduct electrons (taken as a whole, they form an electron cluster); the electron cluster's transparency; and the number of exits the electron cluster has onto the rear surface of PE. The character of distribution of enzymes that are in contact with one or two macroscopic clusters, which comprise conductive particles, over the PE thickness is established. In doing so, it is assumed that the two clusters can be supplied either from one side (parallel clusters) or from two opposite sides (collision clusters) of PE. The electron cluster surface accessible to contact with enzymes and the number of enzymes in contact with such an electron cluster are determined. Two possibilities of the PE functioning are examined. In one, the electrochemical process proceeds at any contact of the enzyme with the support particles. In the other, a certain type of enzyme immobilization on the support is required. The region of optimum concentrations of components that make PE is established. Within this region the electrochemical activity may reach a maximum.     

Electrochemical Measurements of Glucose Using a Micro Flow‐Through Immobilized Enzyme Reactor

A new fast, cheap and efficient epoxy‐amine immobilized enzyme reactor (IMER) is demonstrated. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was used as the curing agent of an epoxy resin (bisphenol‐A diglycidyl ether (BADGE)) in order to introduce a high number of reactive –NH₂ groups at the substrate. A ratio mixture of 3:2 PEI:BADGE (w/w) was shown to be the most suitable for curing, taking into account the number of immobilization sites and the resistance of the material towards channeling. Electrochemical measurements made by a three electrode system, adapted at the IMER, showed that the K_m value for immobilized glucose oxidase (GOx) was half the value commonly reported for GOx immobilized at PEI derived substrates. The IMER response decreased by around 41 % after one week of intense usage. Even so, the remaining activity was sufficient for quantifications of approximately 0.1 mmol L⁻¹, merely requiring a new calibration of the reactor before its utilization. The developed system was applied to D‐glucose quantification of beverage samples, requiring an injection volume of only 10 μL and a flow rate of 150 μL min⁻¹ (almost 60 samples per hour). Low detection and quantification limits (1.94 and 5.89 μmol L⁻¹, respectively) and a wide linear range (from 8 μmol L⁻¹ to 2 mmol L⁻¹) were also found, which are useful characteristics for quality control analysis.     

Preparation and Electrochemical Characterization of an Enzyme Electrode Based on Catalase Immobilized onto a Multiwall Carbon Nanotube‐Thionine Film

The present study was aimed at investigating the use of a mixture multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and thionine (Th) dye in designing of a thionine‐based electrochemical biosensor containing catalase (Ct) enzyme (MWCNT‐Nafion‐Th/Ct) onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The effects of pH, MWCNT concentration and thionine concentration on electrochemical response were explored for optimum analytical performance. The modified electrode exhibited a pair of well‐defined, quasi‐reversible peaks at formal potential (E^o′) = ‐0.218 ± 0.017 V vs. Ag/AgCl corresponding to the Th_ox/Th_red redox couples in the presence of MWCNT, Nafion, and Ct. The electrochemical parameters, including charge‐transfer coefficient (0.36), and apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (4.28 ± 0.26 s^?1) were determined. Using differential pulse voltammetry, the prepared enzyme electrode exhibited a linear response to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the range of 10.0‐100.0 μM with a detection limit 8.7 μM and a sensitivity of 6051.0 μA mM^?1 cm^?2.     

Determination of Oxalate with Immobilized Oxalate Oxidase in an Enzyme Thermistor

Abstract

This paper describes a rapid enzymic procedure, based on calorimetry, for specific determination of oxalic acid. Oxalate is oxidized by immobilized oxalate oxidase to hydrogen peroxide and carbon dioxide. The heat generated by this reaction is measured in a calorimetric device, the enzyme thermistor. Oxalate concentrations as low as 0.02 mM can be determined. Also described is purification and immobilization of the enzyme, as well as the effect of some of its inhibitors. The urinary oxalate content of 16 persons was determined using the enzyme thermistor. For samples containing a very low concentration of oxalate (less than 0.2 mM) an extraction step with tributylphosphate can be introduced to purify and concentrate the oxalate. The oxalate content in different kinds of food was also determined.     

Determination of Serum Urea with an Enzyme Thermistor Using Immobilized Urease

Abstract

The application of an enzyme thermistor device in a simple and accurate procedure for the determination of serum urea is described. The enzyme thermistor measures the heat produced when urea is passed through a small column containing immobilized urease. The stability and sensitivity as well as the performance with clinical serum samples of the system is evaluated. Advantages are the simplicity, the low enzyme cost and the insensitivity to the optical properties of the sample and interfering substances, which may affect the commonly used assay procedures.     

Porous Electrodes with Immobilized Enzymes: The Problem of Development of Nanocomposites with High Concentrations of Molecules of Active Enzymes

The currents that are generated in a porous electrode with an immobilized enzyme increase with increasing concentration of molecules of an electrochemically active enzyme. However, a finely divided composite, which is manufactured from colloidal particles of a support that have nanodimensions and molecules of the enzyme with the aid of methods of colloid chemistry, has a peculiar structure: it consists of a set of fractal clusters, which are capable of adsorbing only a limited number of enzyme molecules. The paper is devoted to computer simulation of all the stages of immobilization of the enzyme, specifically, producing random fractal clusters of required dimensions and deploying molecules of the enzyme on them. An analysis of the link of the concentration of molecules of an active enzyme with the structure and characteristics of a porous composite makes it possible to give an interpretation to experimental facts obtained by other authors for an oxygen electrode consisting of finely divided colloidal graphite and laccase.     

甲醛电化学传感器多孔气体扩散电极不同催化层结构与响应性能研究

多孔气体扩散电极的制备是制备甲醛电化学传感器的关键所在, 其中催化层的结构直接影响到传感器的响应性能. 通过柠檬酸三钠还原法合成了纳米金-活性炭、纳米金-碳纳米管催化剂, 制备了甲醛电化学传感器多孔气体扩散电极, 并对电极进行SEM(扫描电子显微镜)物理表征. 在甲醛气体浓度为0.24和0.63 mg/m³时, 电极C具有较好的响应, 在0.1到0.84 mg/m³浓度范围内, 线性方程为y＝10.515x＋4.4049 (R²＝0.9917), 响应时间约80 s. 分析了不同催化剂的气体扩散电极结构与甲醛响应性的关系, 为研制开发性能优良的甲醛电化学传感器奠定了基础.     

Porous Electrodes with Immobilized Enzymes: The Fractal-Percolation Properties of Supports Manufactured from Particles of Finely Divided Colloidal Graphite

The development of a porous active layer with an immobilized enzyme of a sufficiently large thickness is one of the problems that unavoidably emerge when constructing biofuel cells with high characteristics. Mounting up the thickness can be obstructed not only by the ohmic and diffusion limitations, which have been studied well enough. One more possibility of limitations (supports manufactured from finely divided colloidal graphite, FDCG), namely a “ fractal-percolation effect,” which has recently been discovered experimentally, is discussed in the paper. The essence of the effect consists of that the particles that are constituting a porous support may gather in random fractal clusters, which are connected with one another (the percolation part of the problem) with a probability that is other than unity. As a result, the electrons that are required for performing bioelectrocatalysis are capable of penetrating into a porous support only to a limited depth. Computer simulation of the fractal and percolation processes is performed in this work. As a result, quantitative relationship of the bulk concentration of FDCG in solution with the size of random fractal clusters, with the probability of their contact with one another, and with the degree of providedness of the material of the support by electrons is established. It may happen that all this information can become useful for the development of porous electrodes with an immobilized enzyme of high activity.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 8, 2005, pp. 943–953.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Chirkov, Rostokin.     

Electrochemical Characteristics of Fluorocarbon Electrodes as a Function of the Type of Fluorinated Material

Electrochemical characteristics of fluorocarbon electrodes prepared from powdered (carbon black, coke), porous (cellular graphite), and textile (carbon cloth Ural-2T) fluorinated materials are studied. The major contribution to the electrode polarization is made by the diffusion constituent, which is different for different fluorocarbon materials. All the polarization constituents increase with the discharge current. A relative increase in the ohmic and diffusion constituents is greater than that in the electrochemical constituent.     

溶解性可调节的酶载体制备和固定化酶的研究

本文利用自由基沉淀聚合反应,合成了甲基丙烯酸-丙烯酰胺-顺丁烯二酸酐三元共聚物,测定了这些共聚物形成水不溶性的大分子氢键复合物的临界pH值.利用共聚物上的酸酐基团,直接进行了木瓜蛋白酶的固定化,得到了具有液相酶与固相酶两者优点的新型修饰酶。     

Electrodes of Synthetic Diamond Compacts Added with Platinum: The Platinum Effect on Electrochemical Activity

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - Conducting diamond composite electrodes are prepared by converting graphite into diamond at high pressure and high temperature in two- and three-component...     

Dynamic Characteristic of an Electrochemical Cell with Gauze Electrodes in Convective Diffusion Conditions

A frequency dependence of the transfer function of an electrochemical cell is studied experimentally in the frequency span 0.02 to 40 Hz under conditions of controlled convective diffusion. Above the diffusion frequency, experimental data nicely conform to theoretical calculations, but below it the function's decay cannot be explained within existing theoretical notions.