Photoinduced Reversible Topographical Changes on Diarylethene Microcrystalline Surfaces with Biomimetic Wetting Properties

Reversible topographical changes were observed on a photochromic diarylethene microcrystalline film surface by alternate irradiation with UV and visible light. Two types of surfaces were prepared from this film: 1) Storage of the film at 30 °C for 24 hours in the dark after UV irradiation afforded a surface that was covered with needle‐shaped crystals, whose diameter and length were approximately 1 μm and 10 μm, respectively, and showed a superhydrophobic lotus effect. 2) Storage of the film at 70 °C for 3 hours in the dark caused the needle‐shaped crystals to be converted into larger rod‐like crystals (5∼8 μm wide and 20∼30 μm long) by Ostwald ripening and a disappearance of the lotus effect. The obtained activation energy of the formation of the needle‐ and rod‐shaped crystals was 143 and 162 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Subsequent UV irradiation to the surface, which was followed by storage at 50 °C for 1 hour in the dark, gave a doubly rough structure; small needle‐shaped crystals were formed between the larger rod‐shaped crystals. The surface showed both superhydrophobic properties and the pinned effect of the water droplet: the petal effect. Fractal analysis of both surfaces were carried out using a box‐counting method, and the lotus effect was observed in the presence of smaller‐sized crystals, whilst the petal effect was observed with larger sized crystals (ca. 100 μm). We demonstrated that the hydrophobic property was controlled by the distribution in crystal size of the closed‐ring isomer of the diarylethene. Visible‐light irradiation of both rough surfaces afforded surfaces with cubic‐shaped micro‐crystals of the open‐ring isomer.     

Controlled Directional Water‐Droplet Spreading on a High‐Adhesion Surface

Controlled directional spreading of a droplet on a smart high‐adhesion surface was made possible by simply controlling anodic oxidation. The wettability gradient of the surface was controlled from 0.14 to 3.38° mm^?1 by adjusting the anodic oxidation conditions. When a water droplet made contact with the substrate, the droplet immediately spread in the direction of the wettability gradient but did not move in other directions, such as those perpendicular to the gradient direction, even when the surface was turned upside down. The spreading behavior was mainly controlled by the wettability gradient. Surfaces with a V‐ or inverse‐V‐shaped wettability gradient were also formed by the same method, and two droplets on these surfaces spread either toward or away from one another as designed. This method could be used to oxidize many conductive substrates (e.g., copper, aluminum) to form surfaces with variously shaped wettability gradients. It has potential for application in microfluidic devices.     

Film characteristics of anodic oxidized AZ91D magnesium alloy by applied power

This study examined the film characteristics of an anodized AZ91D magnesium alloy by varying the direct current and pulse frequency conditions. In order to evaluate the effect of the pulse frequency on film formation, anodic oxidation was carried out by applying direct current and pulse current at a current density of 300 mA/cm². Compared with the sample groups treated with the direct current, a large number of small arcs were generated continuously on the film treated with the pulse current and the film formation rate was found to increase. Homogeneous and compact pores were formed with increasing frequency, and the rate of formation was increased rapidly to the arrival voltage. The film thickness increased and the surface roughness decreased with increasing anodic oxidation time at a fixed frequency of 125 Hz. However, treatment for more than 3 min led to decomposition of the oxidized film onto the previously formed film, which caused an increase in the number of cracks and pores within the film. The most uniform and smallest pores were acquired when the surface was anodized for 3 min at a current density and frequency of 300 mA/cm² and 125 Hz, respectively. X‐ray diffraction revealed the formation of MgO and Mg₂SiO₄ peaks, with a relative decrease in peak intensity for the MgO and Mg substrate. The Vickers hardness value was higher on the treated groups than on the untreated group, and the potentiodynamic polarization test revealed satisfactory corrosion resistance through a decrease in corrosion density and a large improvement in the corrosion potential. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitive Voltammetric Determination of Cadmium(II) with 8‐Hydroxyquinoline and Ionic Liquid Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

In this paper 8‐hydroxyquinoline (HQ) and ionic liquid (IL) modified carbon paste electrode was fabricated and used for the sensitive determination of cadmium(II) with differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The modified electrode was prepared by the addition of HQ and IL 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazoliam ethylsulphate as the modifiers into the traditional carbon paste mixture. Cd(II) was preconcentrated and reduced on the surface of the modified electrode at the potential of ‐1.0 V (vs. SCE) by the co‐contributions from the formation of HQ‐Cd(II) complex and the accumulation effect of IL. Then the reduced Cd on the electrode surface was reoxidized by DPASV with a sensitive oxidation peak appeared at ‐0.79 V (vs. SCE). Under the optimal conditions the oxidation peak current was proportional to the Cd(II) concentration in the range from 0.03 to 2.0 mol/L with the detection limit as 5.0 nmol/L (3σ). The proposed method was successfully applied to the water samples detection with the recovery in the range from 95.6% to 96.6%.     

Electrocatalytic Determination of Nitrite on a Rigid Disk Electrode Having Cobalt Phthalocyanine Prepared In Situ

This work reports an in situ cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoPc) synthesis on a SiO₂/SnO₂ (SiSn) matrix surface obtained by the sol‐gel method and its electrocatalytic activity for oxidation of nitrite. A rigid disk electrode with SiSn/CoPc was used to study the electrooxidation of nitrite by the cyclic voltammetric, chronoamperometric techniques and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The adsorbed phthalocyanine electrocatalyzed nitrite oxidation at 0.73 V (versus SCE) using the DPV technique. The anodic peak current intensities, plotted from differential pulse voltammograms in 1 mol L^?1 KCl for the concentration range 0.002 to 3.85 mmol L^?1 of nitrite were linear, with a correlation coefficient of 0.998 and a detection limit of 0.95 μmol L^?1.     

Pd-Mn/Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Catalyst for Catalytic Oxidation of Toluene,Acetone and Ethyl Acetate

A new 0.1%Pd‐6%Mn/stainless steel wire mesh catalyst was prepared and used for volatile organic compounds (VOC) elimination. The supported palladium and manganese catalyst over the stainless steel wire mesh was prepared by using an impregnation method. When an anodic oxidation technology was employed, an anodic oxidation membrane appeared on the stainless steel wire mesh. On the 0.1%Pd‐6%Mn/stainless steel wire mesh catalyst calcined at 500°C, the total oxidation of toluene, acetone and ethyl acetate was respectively at 260, 220 and 320°C. The activity could be stable for over 700 h for toluene oxidation. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation of the Pd‐Mn/stainless steel wire mesh catalyst shows that the presence of anodic oxidation membrane on the support surface is important for better dispersion of active phases.     

Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Bismuth(III) with 1‐(2‐Pyridylazo)‐2‐naphthol and Ionic Liquid Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

In this paper 1‐(2‐pyridylazo)‐2‐naphthol (PAN) and ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIMBF₄) were mixed with graphite powder to get a modified carbon paste electrode (PAN‐IL‐CPE), which was further used for the sensitive determination of bismuth(III). By the co‐contribution of the formation of PAN‐Bi complex and the accumulation effect of IL, more bismuth(III) was electrodeposited on the surface of the PAN‐IL‐CPE. Then the reduced Bi was oxidized and detected by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) with the oxidation peak appeared at 0.17 V (vs. SCE). Under the optimal conditions the oxidation peak current was proportional to the bismuth(III) concentration in the range from 0.04 to 7.5 μmol L^?1 with the detection limit as 3.9 nmol L^?1. The proposed method was successfully applied to the stomach medicine sample detection with good recovery.     

Electrochemical Oxidation of Ibuprofen and Its Voltammetric Determination at a Boron‐Doped Diamond Electrode

The electrochemical oxidation of ibuprofen at a boron‐doped diamond electrode (BDDE) and its voltammetric determination is reported for the first time. A well‐defined oxidation peak was observed at around 1.6 V in 0.1 mol L^?1 H₂SO₄ solution with 10 % (v/v) ethanol at the BDDE surface activated by either cathodic or anodic pretreatments. A differential‐pulse voltammetric method for the determination of ibuprofen in pharmaceutical formulations was optimized with a detection limit of 5 µmol L^?1 and compared with the British Pharmacopeia method.     

Nanoporous Pt Catalyst Modified by Sn Electrodeposition for Electrochemical Oxidation of Formaldehyde

A nanoporous Pt particles‐modified Ti (nanoPt/Ti) electrode was prepared through a simple hydrothermal method using aqueous H₂PtCl₆ as a precursor and formaldehyde as a reduction agent. The nanoPt/Ti electrode was then modified with limited amounts of tin particles generated by cyclic potential scans in the range of ?0.20 to 0.50 V in a 0.01 mol·L^?1 SnCl₂ solution, to synthesize a Sn‐modified nanoporous Pt catalyst (Sn/nanoPt/Ti). Electroactivity of the nanoPt/Ti and Sn/nanoPt/Ti electrodes towards formaldehyde oxidation in a 0.5 mol·L^?1 H₂SO₄ solution was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Electrooxidation of formaldehyde on the nanoPt/Ti electrode takes place at a potential of 0.45 V and then presents high anodic current densities due to the large real surface area of the nanoPt/Ti electrode. The formaldehyde oxidation rate is dramatically increased on the Sn/nanoPt/Ti electrode at the most negative potentials, where anodic formaldehyde oxidation is completely suppressed on the nanoPt/Ti electrode. Chronoamperogramms (CA) of the Sn/nanoPt/Ti electrode display stable and large quasi‐steady state current densities at more negative potential steps. Amperometric data obtained at a potential step of 100 mV show a linear dependence of the current density for formaldehyde oxidation upon formaldehyde concentration in the range of 0.003 to 0.1 mol·L^?1 with a sensitivity of 59.29 mA·cm^?2 (mol·L^?1)^?1. A detection limit of 0.506 mmol·L^?1 formaldehyde was found. The superior electroactivity of the Sn/nanoPt/Ti electrode for formaldehyde oxidation can be illustrated by a so‐called bifunctional mechanism which is involved in the oxidation of poisoning adsorbed CO species via the surface reaction with OH adsorbed on neighboring Sn sites.     

A Compact,High Speed Ion Beam Chopper

Abstract

A simple, compact pulse circuit was designed for use as an ion beam chopper with both synchronous and asynchronous triggering. The rise and fall times of the beam-on pulse are 60 ns and 320 ns, respectively, with a beam suppression potential of 180 V. The beam chopper was interfaced to a spark-source mass spectrometer for which the precision of analyses can be improved by reducing effects of sample or spark inhomogeneities. Additionally, the synchronous mode of chopping provides a means for temporal analysis of the spark.     

Voltammetry as an Alternative Tool for Trace Metal Detection in Peloid Marine Sediments

Here was demonstrated for the first time a possible application of abrasive stripping voltammetry in the direct measurement of trace metals in anoxic, sulfidic marine sediments (peloid mud) from a small and shallow (0.2–1 m) marine lagoon in Central Dalmatia, Croatia. Trace amounts of sample compounds are transferred to the graphite electrode surface and electrochemical reduction or oxidation processes are followed by the cyclic voltammetry in seawater or 0.55 M NaCl as electrolyte. After a preelectrolysis at potentials ranging from ?1.0 to ?1.5 V (vs. SCE) a well‐defined anodic stripping peak corresponding to the oxidation of metal deposits generated at deposition potentials is obtained around ?0.74 V (vs. SCE). The same samples were studied by anodic stripping voltammetry at the Hg electrode and inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometer (ICP‐MS). ICP‐MS showed higher concentrations of trace metals such as Al, Fe, Mo, Mn. A relatively high concentration of reduced sulfur species (RSS) (10^?3 M) is determined electrochemically in porewater of the peloid mud, indicating that the magnitude of metal enrichment in the sediments is probably controlled by precipitation with sulfide.     

阳极氧化TiN薄膜制备N掺杂纳米TiO2薄膜及其可见光活性

室温下通过电泳沉积(EPD)的方法在Ti片表面制备TiN薄膜, 然后对TiN薄膜进行阳极氧化得到N掺杂多孔纳米结构的TiO2薄膜. 利用X射线衍射(XRD), X射线光电子能谱(XPS), 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)及光电化学方法对得到的薄膜进行表征. XRD测试结果表明, 经过阳极氧化并在350 ℃空气气氛中退火1 h的薄膜中存在锐钛矿晶型的TiO2. XPS的结果表明, 样品中的N元素取代部分O, 且N的摩尔分数为0.95%. SEM显示, 经阳极氧化后薄膜表面出现多孔纳米结构. 光电化学测试结果显示, 阳极氧化提高了N掺杂TiO2薄膜在可见光下的光电响应. 经阳极氧化并热处理的薄膜在0 V电位及可见光照射下光电流密度为2.325 μA·cm-2, 而单纯热处理的薄膜在相同条件下光电流密度仅为0.475 μA·cm-2. 阳极氧化得到纳米多孔结构提高了N掺杂纳米TiO2薄膜的表面积, 从而对可见光的响应增大.     

Nano/micro‐sized calcium phosphate coating on carbon/carbon composites by ultrasonic assisted electrochemical deposition

Nano/micro‐sized calcium phosphate (CaP) coating was prepared on carbon/carbon (C/C) composites by ultrasonic assisted electrochemical deposition. The coating obtained at different deposition voltages contained a mixture of hydroxyapatite (HA) and brushite (DCPD). The homogenous coating prepared at 2.4 V consisted of nano‐sized and needle‐like HA embedded in micro‐sized and plate‐like DCPD. An interlocking structure was formed along the depth direction of the coating. The internal stress may be released effectively through the interlocking structure of the coating. And the plate‐like crystals of the coating were inset in the grooves on the surface of C/C composites. This led to a better adhesive strength of the coating. Meanwhile, the formed interlocking structure could help enhance cohesive strength of the coating. It was found that the growth of CaP crystals in the coating under the voltage of 2.4 V consisted of the plate‐like crystals deposited initially. Then the plate‐needle‐like crystals of submicron size formed among the plate‐like crystals and developed needle‐like ones. The CaP‐coated C/C composites might improve the biological properties of coating for its unique morphology, structures and strong adhesion to the C/C substrate. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthese und Charakterisierung funktionalisierter β‐Hydroxydithiozimtsäuren und deren Ester. Komplexchemisches Verhalten gegenüber Nickel(II), Palladium(II) und Platin(II)

Synthesis and Analytical Characterization of Functionalized β‐Hydroxydithiocinnamic Acids and their Esters. Complex Chemistry towards Nickel(II), Palladium(II), and Platin(II) Starting from silyl‐protected 4‐hydroxy acetophenone ( 1 ) the 1,1‐ethenedihiolato complexes 3 – 5 were synthesised using carbon disulfide and potassium‐tert‐butylate as a base. After being deprotected, the resulting 4‐hydroxy‐substituted complexes 6 – 8 were esterified with DL‐α‐lipoic acid to obtain the compounds 9 – 11 . The resulting complexes were characterized using NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and IR spectroscopy. 3‐substituted β‐hydroxydithiocinnamic acid methyl ester ( 12 ) was obtained via an analogous path of reaction using silyl‐protected 3‐hydroxy acetophenone ( 2 ), carbon disulfide and methyl iodide. After removing of the silyl group the resulting hydroxy group was esterified with DL‐α‐lipoic acid. Using the dithioacid ester 14 as a ligand the Ni^II ( 15 ), Pd^II ( 16 ) and Pt^II ( 17 ) [O,S] complexes were obtained.     

Electrochemical Sensing Performances for Uric Acid Detection on Various Amine Adlayers Used in Immobilizing Reduced Graphene Oxide

We investigated an influence of amine adlayer on electrochemical sensing performances for uric acid detection on reduced graphene oxide (RGO)‐decorated indium‐tin oxide electrode surfaces. Various amine‐terminated molecules including aminoethyl aryldiazonium cation, 2,2′‐(ethylenedioxy)bis(ethylamine), 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane, polyethyleneimine were introduced as adlayers to electrostatically immobilize RGO on the electrode surfaces. The anodic oxidation current of uric acid was observed on the various surfaces with differential pulse voltammetry. The current was highly enhanced by electrocatalytic activity of RGO. The sensing performances including linearity, sensitivity, limit of detection, and correlation coefficient were measured and compared. The adlayer with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane showed the best performances on the RGO‐modified surface.     

Electro-oxidation of formic acid catalyzed by FePt nanoparticles

The electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid at a gold electrode functionalized with FePt nanoparticles was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a mixed solution of 0.1 M HCOOH and 0.1 M HClO4. The FePt bimetallic nanoparticles, with a mean diameter of 3 nm, were prepared by a chemical reduction method. The Au/FePt nanostructured electrode was prepared firstly by the deposition of FePt nanoparticles onto a clean Au electrode surface, followed by ultraviolet ozone treatment to remove the organic coating. In CV measurements, two well-defined anodic peaks were observed at +0.20 and +0.51 V (vs. a Ag/AgCl quasi-reference). The anodic peak at +0.20 V was attributed to the oxidation of HCOOH to CO2 on surface unblocked by CO, whereas the peak at +0.51 V was ascribed to the oxidation of surface-adsorbed CO (an intermediate product of HCOOH oxidation) and further oxidation of bulk HCOOH. From the onset potential and current density of the electro-oxidation of HCOOH, FePt nanoparticles exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activities as compared to Pt and other metal alloys. EIS measurements were carried out to further examine the reaction kinetics involved in the HCOOH electro-oxidation. The EIS responses were found to be strongly dependent on electrode potentials. At potentials more positive than -0.25 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), pseudo-inductive behavior was typically observed. At potentials between +0.3 and +0.5 V, the impedance response was found to reverse from the first quadrant to the second quadrant; such negative Faradaic impedance was indicative of the presence of an inductive component due to the oxidation of surface-adsorbed CO. The impedance responses returned to normal behavior at more positive potentials (+0.6 to +0.9 V). The mechanistic variation was attributed to the formation of different intermediates (CO or oxygen containing species) on the electrode surface in different potential regions. Two equivalent circuits were proposed to model these impedance behaviors.     

Preferential anodic oxidation of second‐phase constituents during anodising of AA2024‐T3 and AA7075‐T6 alloys

Model analogues of the metallurgical phases found in 2xxx and 7xxx series aluminium alloys were produced by magnetron sputtering and employed to investigate the local and general anodising behaviour of the alloys. Electrochemical tests, allied with scanning and transmission electron microscopy, enabled insight into the local anodising behaviour of the constituents and related effects on the overall porous oxide morphology. Under potentiodynamic conditions, the observed anodic current peaks of the commercial alloys were related with the anodic oxidation of specific second‐phase particles. At 0 V, magnesium‐containing particles, including S‐phase, were preferentially removed from the alloy surface; at 5–6 V_SCE, the copper‐ and/or iron‐containing particles, such as θ phase and Al₇Cu₂Fe particles were anodically oxidised. The initial voltage transient revealed for the commercial alloys during galvanostatic anodising was related to the previous findings and reproduced by the use of coupled alloy analogues. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the voltage transient associated with oxidation of second‐phase material influence the morphology of the anodic film formed on the aluminium matrix. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Formation and characterization of self-organized TiO2 nanotube arrays by pulse anodization

This paper describes TiO2 nanotube arrays prepared by anodic oxidation of Ti substrates using pulse voltage waveforms. Voltages were pulsed between 20 and -4 V or between 20 and 0 V with varying durations from 2 to 16 s at the lower limit of the pulse waveform. Ammonium fluoride or sodium fluoride (and mixtures of both) was used as the electrolyte with or without added medium modifier (glycerol, ethylene glycol, or poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG 400)) in these experiments. The pulse waveform was optimized to electrochemically grow TiO2 nanotubes and chemically etch their walls during its cathodic current flow regime. The resultant TiO2 nanotube arrays showed a higher quality of nanotube array morphology and photoresponse than samples grown via the conventional continuous anodization method. Films grown with a 20 V/-4 V pulse sequence and pulse duration of 2 s at its negative voltage limit afforded a superior photoresponse compared to other pulse durations. Specifically, the negative voltage limit of the pulse (-4 V) and its duration promote the adsorption of NH4+ species that in turn inhibits chemical attack of the growing oxide nanoarchitecture by the electrolyte F- species. The longer the period of the pulse at the negative voltage limit, the thicker the nanotube walls and the shorter the nanotube length. At variance, with 0 V as the low voltage limit, the longer the pulse duration, the thinner the oxide nanotube wall, suggesting that chemical attack by fluoride ions is not counterbalanced by NH3/NH4+ species adsorption, unlike the interfacial situation prevailing at -4 V. Finally, the results from this study provide useful evidence in support of existing mechanistic models for anodic growth and self-assembly of oxide nanotube arrays on the parent metal surface.     

铅及铅锑合金阳极膜中硫酸铅的氧化过程

应用电位阶跃和交流阻抗法分别研究铅和Pb-5wt% Sb合金在4.5mol·dm^-^3H~2SO~4(30℃)中于1.3V(vs. Hg/Hg~2SO~4, 下同)生长20min后的阳极膜在0.9V还原5min后再在1.4V将膜中硫酸铅氧化的过程。实验结果表明在0.9V还原二氧化铅而得到的硫酸铅能在1.4V于1min内氧化为二氧化铅。这是由于此种硫酸铅处于硫酸铅颗粒表层的缘故。至于颗粒内部由铅直接生成的硫酸铅的氧化为二氧化铅就要缓慢得多。合金中的锑能使二氧化铅晶核形成和生长速率显著降低。     

Preliminary Study on Reverse Pulse Amperometric Detection in Capillary Electrophoresis for Simultaneous Determination of Cysteine and Cystine

Simultaneous determination of cysteine (RSH) and cystine (RSSR), two important sulfur-containing amino acids, in capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been an analytical task. Dual-microelectrode amperometric detection seems to be a good scheme, but significant difficulty in electrode construction and poor detection limit for RSSR determination remain major short-comings. In reverse pulse amperometric (RPA) detection, the applied potentials are repeatedly pulsed back and forth between the reducing initial potential (e.g., E_i = ?1.4 V) and the oxidizing final potential (e.g., E_f = 0.0 V) at a single, gold-mercury amalgam (Au/Hg) microelectrode. At E_i, RSSR is reduced to RSH which causes catalytical oxidation of the Au/Hg amalgam microelectrode when the potential is pulsed to E_f. The resulting anodic current is then recorded. Therefore, by using RPA detection after CE separation, RSH and RSSR can be simultaneously determined.