A comparative study of the anion transfer kinetics across a water/nitrobenzene interface by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and square-wave voltammetry at thin organic film-modified electrodes

The kinetics of the transfer of a series of hydrophilic monovalent anions across the water/nitrobenzene (W/NB) interface has been studied by means of thin organic film-modified electrodes in combination with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and square-wave voltammetry. The studied ions are Cl-, Br-, I-, ClO4-, NO3-, SCN-, and CH3COO-. The electrode assembly comprises a graphite electrode (GE) covered with a thin NB film containing a neutral strongly hydrophobic redox probe (decamethylferrocene or lutetium bis(tetra-tert-butylphthalocyaninato)) and an organic supporting electrolyte. The modified electrode is immersed in an aqueous solution containing a supporting electrolyte and transferring ions, and used in a conventional three-electrode configuration. Upon oxidation of the redox probe, the overall electrochemical process proceeds as an electron-ion charge-transfer reaction coupling the electron transfer at the GE/NB interface and compensates ion transfer across the W/NB interface. The rate of the ion transfer across the W/NB interface is the limiting step in the kinetics of the overall coupled electron-ion transfer reaction. Moreover, the transferring ion that is initially present in the aqueous phase only at a concentration lower than the redox probe, controls the mass transfer regime in the overall reaction. A rate equation describing the kinetics of the ion transfer that is valid for the conditions at thin organic film-modified electrodes is derived. Kinetic data measured with two electrochemical techniques are in very good agreement.     

Effects of pretreatments and modifiers on electrochemical properties of carbon paste electrodes

The electrochemical properties of carbon paste electrodes (CPEs), including unmodified and modified with protein and polycations, were investigated by impedance spectroscopy (IS) using ferricyanide and ferrocene monocarboxylic acid (FcMA) as redox probes. Various electrochemical pretreatments were applied to the unmodified CPE. The heterogeneous charge transfer rate constant of ferro/ferricyanide couple is enhanced by 2 to 10 times compared with that obtained at untreated electrodes. It was found that for ferricyanide the more suitable pretreatments are successive cyclic voltammetric scans, cathodization and a square wave-like stepping rather than high-potential anodization. However, the pretreatment only exhibits a slight effect on the kinetics of FcMA. At the CPEs containing modifier, the electron transfer rate of the redox couple depends more on the pH of electrolyte solution if ferro/ferricyanide is used. The results can be explained by the differently charged states of the CPEs that were caused by the protonation or deprotonation of the modifiers in various pH solutions and demonstrate the importance of the electrostatic interaction on the kinetics of the highly polar species such as ferricyanide. The different adsorptive behavior of ferricyanide and FcMA is also discussed.     

Cyclic Voltammetry of Hexachloroiridate(IV): An Alternative to the Electrochemical Study of the Ferricyanide Ion

An instrumental analysis experiment on the cyclic voltammetry of hexachloroiridate(IV) is described in this paper. The hexachloroiridate(IV)/hexachloroiridate(III) redox couple allows the analytical chemistry student to study the behavior of electrochemically reversible electron transfer with no complications. The cyclic voltammetric response of hexachloroiridate(IV)/hexachloroiridate(III) is compared with the ferricyanide/ ferrocyanide redox couple, which has been known to exhibit quasireversible electron transfer as a result of film formation on the electrode surface. Considerations regarding the stability of the hexachloroiridate(IV) ion in 0.1 M KNO₃ are also addressed.     

应用扫描电化学显微镜研究极化液/液界面上的电子转移反应

将含有氧化还原电对的水溶液滴涂在铂盘电极表面, 然后将该电极插入到1,2-二氯乙烷溶液中, 形成稳定的油/水界面. 液滴中的K3Fe(CN)6和K4Fe(CN)6氧化还原电对既可以作为水相中的参比电对参与控制液/液界面上的电势差, 同时又可以作为水相的电子授受体参与界面上的电子转移反应. 结合扫描电化学显微镜电化学系统的特点, 利用其双恒电位仪分别控制界面电势差和现场扫描的优点, 通过扫描电化学显微镜的渐进曲线得到了不同界面电势差控制的电子转移反应速率常数. 实验结果表明, 应用此方法获得的液/液界面可以被外加电位极化, 在一定的电势差范围内, 反应速率常数与界面电势差的关系遵守Butler-Volmer公式.     

Studies on Gold Electrode Modified by Alkanethiol SAM

Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on gold electrode has been extensively studied in electrochemistry. It is a good model for study the electron transfer through the SAM from metal to redox couple in the solution or tethered on the surface of monolayer. For a pinehole-free monolayer, electron tunneling is considered as the mechanism of electron transfer through the film. The detail of the process in electrochemistry is not clear though there are a lot of publications on SAM research. In this paper,the electrochemical behavior of pinehole-free alkanethiol modified SAM electrode was investigated at different potential in the solution containing various concentration Fe(CN)₆^3-/4- ions. It was found that the apparent resistance could be attributed mainly to the resistance of SAM film.     

Fourier transform SERS studies of the chemisorption of ferricyanide on gold electrode surfaces

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) studies of ferricyanide and ferrocyanide ions at gold electrodes show that in solutions containing 0.1 M Cs⁺, ferricyanide ions are adsorbed, but not ferrocyanide. The strength of the interaction with the surface is such that the electrode can be removed from the solution without loss of the SERS signal. This chemisorbed layer is also observed from solutions containing Li⁺ ions. The implications for the mechanism of the heterogeneous electron transfer reaction are discussed.     

Electrochemical,microscopic, and EQCM studies of cathodic electrodeposition of ZnO/FAD and anodic polymerization of FAD films modified electrodes and their electrocatalytic properties

Two kinds of chemically modified electrodes were prepared. In the first type of electrodes, zinc oxide (ZnO) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) molecules were deposited onto the glassy carbon-, gold-, and SnO₂-coated glass electrodes by using cyclic voltammetry from the bath solution containing aqueous 0.1 M zinc nitrate, 0.1 M sodium nitrate, and 1 × 10⁻⁴ M FAD. It was called as ZnO/FAD modified electrodes. The second type of modified electrode was prepared by the electropolymerization method. Electrochemical polymerization of FAD was carried out from the acidic solution containing 1 × 10⁻⁴ M FAD monomers onto electrode surfaces. This poly(FAD)-modified electrode yields a new redox couple in addition to the monomers redox couple. The influence of the concentrations, pH, and electrocatalytic properties of the ZnO/FAD- and poly(FAD)-modified electrodes are investigated by means of the in situ technique electrochemical quartz–crystal microgravimetry (EQCM) combined with cyclic voltammetry and the ex situ technique scanning electron microscopy. From these studies, it appears that the cathodic deposition of ZnO/FAD-modified electrodes gives only one redox couple, and the anodically polymerized FAD film-modified electrodes gives two reversible redox couples. The pH dependence of the redox responses were investigated and the kinetics of electron transfer was evaluated. In addition, the EQCM technique was employed to follow the deposition process of both kinds of modified electrodes in real time as well as the characteristics of the charge transfer associated with the surface-confined redox-active couples. The electrocatalytic activity of the poly(FAD)-modified electrode towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and the oxidation of dopamine and ascorbic acid was explored. The important electrocatalytic properties of poly(FAD)-modified electrode were observed for simultaneous separation of dopamine and ascorbic acid in neutral solution. This poly(FAD)-modified electrode has several advantages than the previously reported FAD-modified electrodes.     

Voltammetric studies of microcrystalline C60 adhered to a carbon electrode surface and placed in contact with aqueous electrolyte containing potassium ions

The reduction of microcrystalline C₆₀ fullerene, adhered at a carbon electrode and immersed in aqueous electrolyte, has been studied under various voltammetric conditions. This work reports mainly the voltammetric studies carried out principally in electrolyte containing potassium ions. Comparison of adherence techniques, such as solvent casting and mechanical transfer methods, are made to assess if the type of adhered techniques has any significant influence on the observed electrochemistry. The solvent casting method is found to produce three peaks in the potential for C₆₀^0/n- redox couple as compared to a single and large peak produced when a mechanical transfer technique is employed. When the reduction potential of microcrystalline C₆₀ in the presence of K⁺ is compared with other cations, such as Li, Na, Rb and Cs, it is observed that the shift of reduction potential follows the change in the hydration energy in the order Cs>Rb>K>Na>Li. In a mixed electrolyte study of CsCl/KCl, the reduction potential and peak shape of C₆₀^0/n- redox couple during cyclic voltammetry is observed to change with concentration of the cations and the observed electrochemistry can be attributed to a cation-exchange mechanism. The reduction of C₆₀ is irreversible in aqueous electrolyte containing alkaline cations as the re-oxidation process does not produce any observed electro-activity. Evidence of the formation of a passive coating of K _n C₆₀ fulleride, which does not appear to undergo dissolution is obtained under cyclic voltametric conditions. This coating remains electrochemically active in the presence of tetrabutylammonium ions in acetonitrile. Scan rate, chronocoulometric, and scanning electron microscopic studies provide evidence of the presence of a surface process involving solid–solid transformation.     

A comparison between interfacial electron-transfer rate constants at metallic and graphite electrodes

The Fermi golden rule formalism has been used to derive the rate constant for interfacial electron transfer from a semimetallic electrode, such as highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), to a redox couple in solution. A simple expression is presented that semiquantitatively relates the electron-transfer rate constant at a semimetallic electrode to that at a metallic electrode. The approach allows for the estimation of the value of the rate constant for interfacial charge transfer to nonadsorbing outer-sphere redox species at semimetallic electrodes. Rate constants for interfacial electron transfer for a variety of one-electron redox couples at semimetallic electrodes have been calculated relative to the rate constant of the ferrocenium/ferrocene redox couple at a gold electrode. Good agreement is found, in general, between the calculated and observed rate constants.     

Voltammetric investigation of cytochrome c on gold coated with a self-assembled glutathione monolayer

The direct, reversible electrochemistry of horse-heart cytochrome c (cyt. c) was realized on a self-assembled glutathione (GSH) monolayer modified Au electrode. The voltammetric responses of cyt. c on GSH/Au electrode were found to be affected by pH during the electrode modification, metal ions and surfactants. Using potassium ferricyanide [K4Fe(CN)6] as a probe, these effects on the voltammetric responses of cyt. c were characterized by electrochemical methods. It was found that the pH during the electrode modification, metallic ions and surfactants changed GSH monolayer's charge state and the conformation on the electrode surface, and resulted in the influence on the voltammetric responses of cyt. c. The experimental results provided us information to understand the mechanism of the interfacial electron transfer of electrode-protein, as well as the electron transfer of cyt. c in life system.     

Electron transfer studies of redox probes in bovine milk

In this work, we show that milk can act as an electrolytic medium to study electrochemical processes in the absence of any supporting electrolyte. The electron transfer properties of three different redox systems in bovine homogenized whole milk, skimmed milk, and reconstituted milk powder have been studied by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy using a three-electrode system with a gold disk working electrode, a platinum sheet counter electrode, and a standard calomel reference electrode. It has been shown that the milk incredibly sustains the redox reactions in the absence of any supporting electrolyte and the electrochemical responses are comparable to those obtained when the same reactions were carried out in standard solvent preparations containing supporting electrolytes. The study clearly demonstrates the potential of developing new innovative techniques based on the intricate concepts of electrochemistry to study various aspects of milk that may help in the development of analytical sensors for the diary industry.     

Simple electrochemical method for deposition and voltammetric inspection of silver particles at the liquid-liquid interface of a thin-film electrode

A novel experimental methodology for depositing and voltammetric study of Ag nanoparticles at the water-nitrobenzene (W-NB) interface is proposed by means of thin-film electrodes. The electrode assembly consists of a graphite electrode modified with a thin NB film containing decamethylferrocene (DMFC) as a redox probe. In contact with an aqueous electrolyte containing Ag(+) ions, a heterogeneous electron-transfer reaction between DMFC((NB)) and Ag(+)((W)) takes place to form DMFC(+)((NB)) and Ag deposit at the W-NB interface. Based on this interfacial reaction, two different deposition strategies have been applied. In the uncontrolled potential deposition protocol, the electrode is immersed into an AgNO(3) aqueous solution for a certain period under open circuit conditions. Following the deposition step, the Ag-modified thin-film electrode is transferred into an aqueous electrolyte free of Ag(+) ions and voltammetrically inspected. In the second protocol the deposition was carried out under controlled potential conditions, i.e., in an aqueous electrolyte solution containing Ag(+) ions by permanent cycling of the electrode potential. In this procedure, DMFC((NB)) is electrochemically regenerated at the electrode surface, hence enabling continuation and voltammetric control of the Ag deposition. Hence, the overall electrochemical process can be regarded as an electrochemical reduction of Ag(+)((W)) at the W-NB interface, where the redox couple DMFC(+)/DMFC acts as a mediator for shuttling electrons from the electrode to the W-NB interface. Ag-particles deposited at the W-NB interface affect the ion transfer across the interface, which provides the basis for voltammetric inspection of the metal deposit at the liquid-liquid interface with thin-film electrodes. Voltammetric properties of thin-film electrodes are particularly sensitive to the deposition procedure, reflecting differences in the properties of the Ag deposit. Moreover, this methodology is particularly suited to inspect catalytic activities of metal particles deposited at the liquid-liquid interface toward heterogeneous electron-transfer reactions occurring at the at the liquid-liquid interface.     

Electroactive ceramic carbon electrode impregnated with organic liquid

The carbon ceramic electrodes impregnated with hydrophobic organic solvent (toluene, hexadecane, nitrobenzene) containing redox probe (decamethylferrocene) were prepared. The electrode material was obtained by sol–gel process. It consists of graphite powder homogeneously dispersed in hydrophobic silica matrix. After gelation and drying it was filled with organic liquid. The electrochemical properties of the electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Approximately symmetric cyclic voltammograms were obtained with these electrodes immersed in aqueous electrolyte solution. Their shape and current magnitude and position on the potential scale depends on the organic solvent and the salt present in aqueous phase. It has been concluded that the mechanism of the electrode process involves electron transfer between graphite particle and the redox probe in organic phase, followed by anion transfer from the aqueous phase.     

Electron transfer through clay monolayer films fabricated by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique

Hybrid films composed of amphiphilic molecules and clay particles were constructed by the modified Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method. Clays used were sodium montmorillonite (denoted as mont) and synthetic smectite containing Co(II) ions in the octahedral sites (denoted as Co). Two kinds of amphiphilic molecules were used-[Ru(dC(18)bpy)(phen)2](ClO4)2 (dC(18)bpy = 4,4'-dioctadecyl-2,2'-bipyridyl and phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) (denoted as Ru) and octadecylammonium choloride (ODAH+Cl- or denoted as ODAH). Three kinds of hybrid films (denoted as Ru-mont, Ru-Co, and ODAH-Co films) were prepared by spreading an amphiphilic molecule onto an aqueous suspension of a clay. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses of the films deposited on silicon wafers indicated that closely packed films were obtained at 20 ppm for all the above three cases. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was measured on an ITO electrode modified with a hybrid film or a monolayer film of pure Ru(II) complex salt (denoted as Ru film). The Ru(II) complexes incorporated in the Ru-mont film lost their redox activity, indicating that montmorillonite layers acted as a barrier against electron transfer. In contrast, the same complexes in the Ru-Co film were electrochemically active with the simultaneous appearance of the redox peaks due to the Co(II)/Co(III) (or Co(II)/Co(IV)) couple. The results implied that electron transfer through cobalt clay layers was possible via mediation by Co(II) ions in a clay sheet. For an aqueous solution containing nitrite ions (NO2-) at pH 3.0, a large catalytic oxidation current was observed for both the electrodes modified with the Ru-mont and Ru-Co films. The results were interpreted in terms of the mechanisms that the charge separation of an incorporated Ru(II) complex took place to produce a pair of a Ru(III) complex and an electron and that the generated Ru(III) complex was reduced by a nitrite ion before it recombined with the electron.     

Determining the Gibbs energy of ion transfer across water-organic liquid interfaces with three-phase electrodes.

Ions can be transferred between immiscible liquid phases across a common interface, with the help of a three-electrode potentiostat, when one phase is an organic droplet attached to a solid electrode and containing a redox probe. This novel approach has been used in studies to determine the Gibbs energy of anion and cation transfer, ranging from simple inorganic and organic ions to the ionic forms of drugs and small peptides. This method of studying ion transfer has the following advantages: (1) no base electrolytes are necessary in the organic phase; (2) the aqueous phase contains only the salt to be studied; (3) a three-electrode potentiostat is used; (4) organic solvents such as n-octanol and chiral liquids such as D- and L-2-octanol can be used; (5) the range of accessible Gibbs energies of transfer is wider than in the classic 4-electrode experiments; (6) the volume of the organic phase can be very small, for example, 1 microL or less; (7) the experiments can be performed routinely and fast. Herein, the basic 5 principle is outlined, as well as a summary of the results obtained to date, and a discussion on the theoretical treatments concerning the kinetic regime of the three-phase electrodes with immobilized droplets.     

ZrO(2) gel-derived DNA-modified electrode and the effect of lanthanide on its electron transfer behavior

A new method of immobilizing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was developed based on sol-gel technique, the resulting DNA-modified electrode was characterized with the cyclic voltammetry. The electrode was used to study the electron transfer of DNA in 1.0 mM potassium ferricyanide system in different concentrations of lanthanum(III), europium(III), and calcium(II). The heterogeneous rate constants of the reduction of Fe(CN)(6)(3-) with and without the above cations were calculated by Tafel equation. The results show that lanthanide ions can increase the electron transfer rate much more than calcium ion.     

金电极上L-半胱氨酸短链分子自组装单层的电化学性能和拉曼光谱研究

用循环伏安法分别测定了金电极表面L-半胱氨酸(L-Cys)和十二硫醇自组装单分子层的电化学行为, 实验发现虽然单层结构排列致密, 但并不能有效地阻碍铁氰化钾与电极间异相电子转移过程, 同时观察到十二烷基硫醇自组装层能较好地阻碍电子转移作用. 运用表面增强拉曼散射光谱技术, 以十二烷基硫醇作为缺陷探针, 从分子水平上证实了L-半胱氨酸自组装单层的稳定性和致密性.     

A Novel Micro—hole Electrode Used to Investigate Electron Transfer Reactions at ITIES

A novel micro-hole electrode was fabricated to investigate the electron transfer reaction at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES). The electron transfer reaction between feero/ferricyanide in aqueous phase(W) and ferrocene in 1,2-dichloroethane (O) phase was studied as a test experiment. The results showed that the diffusion coefficient obtained from the micro-hole electrode was consistent with that obtained at macro-interface. Due to its simplicity and the very small IR drop it will be a useful tool for the study of ITIES systems.     

Resolving the copper interference effect on the stripping chronopotentiometric response of lead(II) obtained at bismuth film screen-printed electrode

As copper(II) is a common ion in a variety of analytical samples, its effect on the stripping response of lead(II) at bismuth film screen-printed carbon electrode (BFSPCE) was investigated. The study was conducted using a screen-printed three-electrode system (working, counter and reference electrodes), with the carbon-working electrode plated in situ with bismuth film. Copper present at significant concentration level in samples was found to affect the sensitivity of the electrode by reducing the constant current stripping chronopotentiometric (CCSCP) response of lead(II). Recovery of the lead stripping response at the BFSPCE in the presence of copper was obtained when 0.1 mM ferricyanide was added to the test solution. The ferricyanide added circumvents the detrimental effect of copper(II) by selectively masking the copper ions by forming a complex. The analytical utility of the procedure is illustrated by the stripping chronopotentiometric determinations of lead(II) in soil extracts.     

Limiting current in a redox system on a vertical electrode under conditions of natural convection

The problem of calculating the limiting current in a redox system on a vertical plane electrode under the natural convection conditions is solved. By way of example, the reaction of ferrocyanide oxidation on platinum in a solution containing a mixture of potassium ferrocyanide and ferricyanide (in excess). An equation for the effective Rayleigh number determining the limiting current is derived by Kármán’s method with allowance made for the migration current of an indifferent electrolyte. Limiting currents in the electrochemical system under study are determined experimentally. The calculated and measured limiting currents are compared.