A microfluidic glucose sensor incorporating a novel thread‐based electrode system

An electrochemical sensor for the detection of glucose using thread‐based electrodes and fabric is described. This device is relatively simple to fabricate and can be used for multiple readings after washing with ethanol. The fabrication of the chip consisted of two steps. First, three thread‐based electrodes (reference, working, and counter) were fabricated by painting pieces of nylon thread with either layered silver ink and carbon ink or silver/silver chloride ink. The threads were then woven into a fabric chip with a beeswax barrier molded around the edges in order to prevent leaks from the tested solutions. A thread‐based working electrode consisting of one layer of silver underneath two layers of carbon was selected to fabricate the final sensor system. Using the chip, a PBS solution containing glucose oxidase (GOx) (10 mg/mL), potassium ferricyanide (K₃[Fe(CN)₆]) (10 mg/mL) as mediator, and different concentrations of glucose (0‐25 mM), was measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV). It was found that the current output from the oxidation of glucose was proportional to the glucose concentrations. This thread‐based electrode system is a viable sensor platform for detecting glucose in the physiological range.     

Investigation of a Thin‐film Quasi‐reference Electrode Fabricated by Combined Sputtering‐evaporation Approach

This paper presents the development of a thin‐film quasi‐reference electrode (tQRE), which was fabricated by sputtering silver (Ag) on a conducting gold layer. The Ag layer was subsequently covered by silver chloride (AgCl) with the aid of e‐beam evaporation. The functionality of the tQREs as reliable reference electrodes was confirmed by observing the potential response in solutions with various chloride ion concentrations. The influence of solution pH on the potential change of the tQREs was evaluated. In the solution with controlled ionic strength, the tQREs were able to provide stable and consistent potential outputs. Experimental investigation of the electrochemical sensors with integrated tQREs demonstrated potential applicability of the tQREs to be incorporated into miniaturized and disposable lab‐on‐a‐chip sensors for point‐of‐care/in‐situ measurements.     

Electrografting of 4‐tert‐Butylcatechol on GC Electrode. Selective Electrochemical Determination of Homocysteine

A new sensor based on the grafting of 4‐tert‐butylcatechol on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GC) was developed for the catalytic oxidation of homocysteine ( Hcy ). The GC‐modified electrode exhibited a reversible redox response at neutral pH. Under the optimum conditions cyclic voltammetric results indicated the excellent electrocatalytic activity of modified electrode toward the oxidation of Hcy at reduced over‐potential about 350 mV. A linear dynamic range of 0.01–3.0 mM and a detection limit of 1.0 µM were obtained for Hcy . The modified electrode was used as an electrochemical sensor for selective determination of Hcy in human blood.     

Immobilized Fullerene C60‐Enzyme‐Based Electrochemical Glucose Sensor

A mixed‐valence cluster of cobalt(II) hexacyanoferrate and fullerene C60‐enzyme‐based electrochemical glucose sensor was developed. A water insoluble fullerene C60‐glucose oxidase (C60‐GOD) was prepared and applied as an immobilized enzyme on a glassy carbon electrode with cobalt(II) hexacyanoferrate for analysis of glucose. The glucose in 0.1 M KCl/phosphate buffer solution at pH = 6 was measured with an applied electrode potential at 0.0 mV (vs Ag/AgCl reference electrode). The C60‐GOD‐based electrochemical glucose sensor exhibited efficient electro‐catalytic activity toward the liberated hydrogen peroxide and allowed cathodic detection of glucose. The C60‐GOD electrochemical glucose sensor also showed quite good selectivity to glucose with no interference from easily oxidizable biospecies, e.g. uric acid, ascorbic acid, cysteine, tyrosine, acetaminophen and galactose. The current of H₂O₂ reduced by cobalt(II) hexacyanoferrate was found to be proportional to the concentration of glucose in aqueous solutions. The immobilized C60‐GOD enzyme‐based glucose sensor exhibited a good linear response up to 8 mM glucose with a sensitivity of 5.60 × 10² nA/mM and a quite short response time of 5 sec. The C60‐GOD‐based glucose sensor also showed a good sensitivity with a detection limit of 1.6 × 10^‐6 M and a high reproducibility with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.26%. Effects of pH and temperature on the responses of the immobilized C60‐GOD/cobalt(II) hexacyanoferrate‐based electrochemical glucose sensor were also studied and discussed.     

Bismuth‐Coated Screen‐Printed Microband Electrodes for On‐Field Labile Cadmium Determination

Performances of a screen‐printed microband electrode prepared by ex situ bismuth deposition are reported. According to the low bismuth toxicity, this electrode represents an environmentally friendly alternative to mercury modified sensors, particularly for on‐field measurements. The electrochemical behaviour of the microband electrode has been studied and is in agreement with microelectrode theory before and after bismuth modification. Sensitive cadmium analysis achieved in nondeaerated and unstirred solutions leads to a detection limit of 1.3 μg L^?1 using SWASV for 120 s deposition time. This sensor has been successfully applied to a nontreated river water sample.     

A Novel Three‐Electrode System Fabricated on Polymethyl Methacrylate for On‐Chip Electrochemical Detection

A new strategy of three‐electrode system fabrication in polymer‐based microfluidic systems is described here. Standard lithography, hot embossing and UV‐assisted thermal bonding were employed for fabrication and assembly of the microfluidic chip. For the electrode design the gold working (WE) and counter electrodes (CE) are placed inside a main channel through which the sample solution passes. A silver reference electrode (RE) is embedded in a small side channel containing KCl solution that is continuously pushed into the main channel. In the present work, the overall electrochemical set up and its microfabrication is described. Conditions including silver ion concentration, cyclic voltammetry (CV) settings, and the flow rate of KCl solution in the RE channel were optimized. The electrochemical performance of the three‐electrode system was evaluated by CV and also by amperometric oxidation of ferro hexacyanide ([Fe(CN)₆]^4?) and ruthenium bipyridyl ([Ru(bipy)₃]²⁺) at 400 mV and 1200 mV, respectively. CV analysis using ferri/ferro hexacyanide showed a stable, quasi‐reversible redox reaction at the electrodes with 96 mV peak separation and an anodic/cathodic peak ratio of 1. Amperometric analysis of the electrochemical species resulted in linear correlation between analyte concentration and current response in the range of 0.5–15 µM for [Fe(CN)₆]^4?, and 0–1000 µM for [Ru(bipy)₃]²⁺. Upon the given experimental conditions, the limit of detection was found to be 3.15 µM and 24.83 µM for [Fe(CN)₆]^4? and [Ru(bipy)₃]²⁺, respectively. As a fully integrated three‐electrode system that is fabricated on polymer substrates, it has great applications in microfluidic‐based systems requiring stable electrochemical detection.     

Electrochemical Properties of Electrode Modified with Langmuir‐Blodgett Film of p‐tert‐Butylcalix[4]arene Derivatives and Its Application in Determining of Silver

A new type of voltammetric sensor, Langmuir‐Blodgett (LB) film of 5,11,17,23‐tetra‐tert‐butyl‐25,27‐di(3‐thiadiazole‐propanoxy)‐26,28‐dihydroxycalix[4]arene modified glassy carbon electrode (LB_TZCA–GCE), was prepared. The electrochemical properties of LB_TZCA–GCE were researched in detail and its recognizing mechanism for silver ion in aqueous solution was discussed. Using this voltammetric sensor, a new stripping voltammetric method for determining of Ag⁺ was erected with good sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility and recovery. The detection limit was 8×10^?9 M at accumulation time of 180 s. By this method, real samples (lake water, tap water and synthesis sample) were analyzed and the results obtained were well satisfactory.     

Determination of Lead(II) Using Screen‐Printed Bismuth‐Antimony Film Electrode

This work presents a disposable bismuth‐antimony film electrode fabricated on screen‐printed electrode (SPE) substrates for lead(II) determination. This bismuth‐antimony film screen‐printed electrode (Bi‐SbSPE) is simply prepared by simultaneously in situ depositing bismuth(III) and antimony(III) with analytes on the homemade SPE. The Bi‐SbSPE can provide an enhanced electrochemical stripping signal for lead(II) compared to bismuth film screen‐printed electrodes (BiSPE), antimony film screen‐printed electrodes (SbSPE) and bismuth‐antimony film glassy carbon electrodes (Bi‐SbGC). Under optimized conditions, the Bi‐SbSPE exhibits attractive linear responses towards lead(II) with a detection limit of 0.07 µg/L. The Bi‐SbSPE has been demonstrated successfully to detect lead in river water sample.     

A Self‐contained Two‐electrode Nanosensor for Electrochemical Analysis in Aqueous Microenvironments

We describe the development, fabrication, and characterization of a novel two‐electrode nanosensor contained within the tip of a needle‐like probe. This sensor consists of two, vertically aligned, carbon structures which function as individual electrodes. One of the carbon structures was modified by silver electrodeposition and chlorination to enable it to function as a pseudo‐reference electrode. Performance of this pseudo‐reference electrode was found to be comparable to that of commercially available Ag/AgCl reference electrodes. The unmodified carbon structure was employed as a working electrode versus the silver‐plated carbon structure to form a two‐electrode sensor capable of characterizing redox‐active analytes. The nanosensor was demonstrated to be capable of electrochemically characterizing the redox behavior of para‐aminophenol (PAP) in both bulk solutions and microenvironments. PAP was also measured in cell lysate to show that the nanosensor can detect small concentrations of analyte in heterogenous environments. As the working and reference electrodes are contained within a single nanoprobe, there was no requirement to position external electrodes within the electrochemical cell enabling analysis within very small domains. Due to the low‐cost manufacturing process, this nanoprobe has the potential to become a unique and widely accessible tool for the electrochemical characterization of microenvironments.     

Study on Combined Optical and Electrochemical Analysis Using Indium‐tin‐oxide‐coated Optical Fiber Sensor

In this work an optical fiber sensor, where a lossy‐mode resonance (LMR) effect was obtained due to indium tin oxide (ITO) thin overlay, has been simultaneously applied as a working electrode in a 3‐electrode cyclic voltammetry electrochemical setup. Since LMR conditions highly depend on refractive index of a surrounding medium, an LMR‐based sensor was applied for optical investigations of electrolyte's properties at the ITO surface. We have found that the optical response of the sensor highly depends on the applied potential and its changes, as well as the properties of the investigated electrolyte, i. e., its composition and presence of a redox probe. Both optical and electrochemical response of the ITO‐LMR sensor to various concentrations of phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS), NaCl and Na₂SO₄, as well as scan rate were investigated and discussed. We have found that the responses in optical and electrical domains differ significantly and may deliver supplementary information about the investigated analyte.     

A Novel Electrochemical Sensor Based on Copper‐based Metal‐Organic Framework for the Determination of Dopamine

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a copper‐based metal‐organic framework (MOF) [HKUST‐1, HKUST‐1 = Cu₃(BTC)₂ (BTC = 1,3,5‐benzenetricarboxylicacid)] was developed as a highly sensitive and simple electrochemical sensor for the determination of dopamine (DA). The MOF was prepared by a hydrothermal process, and the morphology and crystal phase of the MOF were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Meanwhile, the electrochemical performance was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Under optimized conditions, the modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity and high selectivity toward DA. The linear response range was from 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M and the detection limit was as low as 1.5 × 10⁻⁷ M. Moreover, the electrochemical sensor was used to detect DA in real samples with excellent results. MOF‐based sensors hold great promise for routine sensing applications in the field of electrochemical sensing.     

Nickel Hydroxide and Intercalated Graphene with Ionic Liquid Nanocomposite‐modified Electrode for Sensing of Glucose

A novel non‐enzymatic glucose sensor based on nickel hydroxide and intercalated graphene with ionic liquid (G‐IL) nanocomposite modified glass carbon electrode was fabricated. Scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectra and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy of the nanocomposite confirmed the morphology and ingredient of Ni(OH)₂ as well as G‐IL. Moreover, experimental results of cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronoamperometry indicated the sensing properties of Ni(OH)₂ at Ni(OH)₂/G‐IL modified electrode towards the typical electrocatalytic oxidation process of glucose at 0.43 V in 0.10 M NaOH. The current response was linearly related to glucose concentration in a range from 0.5 to 500 μM with a detection limit of 0.2 μM (S/N = 3) and sensitivity of 647.8 μA mM^?1 cm^?2. The response time of the sensor to glucose was less than 2 s. This work may be expected to develop an excellent electrochemical sensing platform of G‐IL as a catalysis carrier.     

Electrochemical Properties and Application of Mixed Silver‐Bismuth Electrodes

Electrochemical properties of silver electrodes with 2, 4, 6, 10 and 15% bismuth have systematically been investigated with cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Increased overpotential towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was found as a result of increasing amount of added bismuth. This was also demonstrated in acid solution where zinc was successfully detected on mixed electrodes, but failed on pure silver electrodes. Formation and decomposition of oxide products formed on the different electrode surfaces were studied by cyclic voltammetry, and in addition to known species found on sliver, also peaks attributed to bismuth were achieved and examined. Zinc, cadmium, and lead were measured in the low μg/L range on the mixed electrodes, and good linearity (r²=0.998) was found for 2 to 10 μg/L. Lead was measured down to 0.1 μg/L. Further it was found in DPASV that the zinc peak significantly shifted towards a more negative value with increasing amount of bismuth in the silver electrodes. The same was also observed for cadmium and lead, but in a less extent. Finally a silver electrode containing 15% bismuth was used for continuous analyses in a polluted river for 6 weeks.     

Preparation and Characterization of Bhant Leaves‐derived Nitrogen‐doped Carbon and its Use as an Electrocatalyst for Detecting Ketoconazole

In this study, the electrocatalytic characteristics of nitrogen‐doped carbon (NDC) prepared from Clerodendrum Infortunatum L leaves on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface was evaluated with regards to its ability to detect the electroactive drug ketoconazole (KCZ). The NDC was prepared by carrying out a simple pyrolysis of dry powder of the leaves at 850 °C. The prepared NDC was characterized using field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller analysis, and was then used as an electrode material. The performance of the electrochemical KCZ sensor with the NDC‐modified glassy carbon electrode (NDC/GCE) was found to be optimal when using PBS buffer at pH 3 and a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml of NDC in the conjugate with Nafion polymer. Under these conditions, the NDC/GCE displayed a KCZ detection limit of 3 μM and a linear dependence of its response on KCZ concentration over a wide range of KCZ concentrations from 47 μM to 752 μM (R²=0.9742). These results confirmed the potential of NDC as an electrocatalyst.     

Highly Selective and Sensitive Copper(II) Membrane Sensors Based on 6‐Methyl‐4‐(1‐phenylmethylidene)amino‐3‐thioxo‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5‐one as a New Neutral Ionophore

A new Cu(II) ion‐selective PVC membrane sensor based on 6‐methyl‐4‐(1‐phenylmethylidene)amino‐3‐thioxo‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5‐one (MATTO) as an excellent sensing material was developed. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian slope of 29.2±0.4 mV per decade over a very wide concentration range between 1.0×10^?1 and 1.0×10^?6 M, with a detection limit of 4.8×10^?7 M (30.5 ng/mL). The sensor possesses the advantages of short conditioning time, fast response time (<10 s), and especially, very good selectivity towards transition and heavy metal, and some mono, di and trivalent cations. The proposed electrode was successfully applied to the determination of copper in wastewater of copper electroplating samples and as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Cu(II) ions with EDTA.     

Electrochemistry of Levo‐Thyroxin on Edge‐Plane Pyrolytic Graphite Electrode: Application to Sensitive Analytical Determinations

The electrochemical response of sodium levo‐thyroxin (T₄) at the surface of an edge plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG) electrode is investigated using cyclic voltammetric technique in the presence of 0.1 M HCl as supporting electrolyte. T₄ underwent totally irreversible oxidation at this system and a well‐defined peak at 821 mV was obtained. Compared to the signals obtained in the optimized conditions at bare glassy carbon and carbon paste electrodes, the oxidation current of T₄ at an EPPG electrode was greatly enhanced. The electrochemical process of T₄ was explored and the experimental conditions were optimized. The oxidation peak current represented a linear dependence on T₄ concentration from 0.01 to 10 µM. The detection limit of 3 nM (S/N=3) was obtained for 250 s accumulation at 0.3 V. Determination of T₄ in a synthetic serum sample demonstrated that this sensor has good selectivity and high sensitivity.     

A Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensor Using Nanoporous Platinum Electrodes Prepared by Electrochemical Alloying/Dealloying in a Water‐Insensitive Zinc Chloride‐1‐Ethyl‐3‐Methylimidazolium Chloride Ionic Liquid

We report here a nonenzymatic sensor by using a nanoporous platinum electrode to detect glucose directly. The electrode was fabricated by electrochemical deposition and dissolution of PtZn alloy in zinc chloride‐1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride (ZnCl₂‐EMIC) ionic liquid. Both SEM and electrochemical studies showed the evidences for the nanoporous characteristics of the as‐prepared Pt electrodes. Amperometric measurements allow observation of the electrochemical oxidation of glucose at 0.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer solution. The sensor also demonstrates significant reproducibility in glucose detection; the higher the roughness factor of the Pt electrode, the lower the detection limit of glucose. The interfering species such as ascorbic acid and p‐acetamidophenol can be avoided by using a Pt electrode with a high roughness factor of 151. Overall, the nanoporous Pt electrode is promising for enzymeless detection of glucose at physiological condition.     

Application of the Bismuth Film Electrode for Voltammetric Determination of Titanium Using Ti(IV)‐Oxalate‐Chlorate Catalytic System

The catalytic voltammetric protocol for the determination of titanium at a bismuth film electrode is presented. The method is based on the reduction of the Ti(IV)‐oxalate complex to Ti(III)‐oxalate in an acidic solution. It was proven that the addition of KClO₃ causes rapid oxidation of Ti(III)‐oxalate and, subsequently, an increase of the reduction peak current of Ti(IV) at the bismuth film electrode. Parameters that influence the Ti response, including the film preparation, solution pH, oxalate acid and chlorate concentrations, were optimized. The exploitation of the bismuth film electrode under the optimized conditions yielded a stable response for titanium, with high sensitivity (12.5 μA μM^?1), good precision (RSD=5.0%) and a low detection limit (1×10^?8 M).     

The Effect of the Closely‐Spaced Working and Auxiliary Electrodes on the Performance of Electrochemical Oxygen Sensor

In this paper the influence of the electrochemical reaction at the auxiliary electrode of oxygen microsensors on the sensor performance was investigated. When the auxiliary electrode is closely spaced to the working electrode, the redox cycling of O₂/H₂O takes place in an electrochemical oxygen sensor. This cycling alters the oxygen distribution around the working electrode and therefore affects the measured cathodic current passing through the working electrode. Calibrations have to be taken out to determine the real O₂/H₂O cycling effects. Furthermore, this redox cycling also provides the possibility to enhance the sensitivity of the electrochemical oxygen microsensor. Experimental results indicate that the sensitivity of the oxygen sensor is enhanced 3.0 times with the on‐chip 10 μm spaced interdigitated auxiliary electrode.     

Highly Selective and Sensitive Triiodide PVC‐Membrane Electrode Based on a New Charge‐Transfer Complex of Bis(2,4‐Dimethoxybenzaldehyde)butane‐2,3‐Dihydrazone with Iodine

In this work, a highly selective membrane triiodide sensor based on a new charge‐transfer complex of bis(2,4‐dimethoxybenzaldehyde)butane‐2,3‐dihydrazone with iodine (Iodide Charge Transfer complex: ICT) as membrane carrier is introduced. The influences of five different solvent mediators on sensitivity and selectivity of the proposed sensor were considered. The best performance was obtained with the membrane composition containing 30% poly (vinyl chloride), 63% DBP, 5% ICT and 2% HTAB. The electrode shows a Nernstian behavior over a very wide triiodide ion concentration range (1.0 × 10^?7‐1.0 × 10^?2 M), and a detection limit value of 8.0 × 10^?8 M. The effect of pH on the potentiometric response of the sensor was also studied, and it was found that the response of the electrode is independent of the pH of the solution in the pH range of 4.0–10. The proposed sensor has a very fast response time (< 12 s), and good selectivities relative to a wide variety of common inorganic and organic anions, including iodide, acetate, bromide, chloride, fluoride, nitrite, nitrate, sulfite, sulfate, cyanide and thiocyanate. In fact the selectivity behavior of the proposed triiodide ion‐selective electrode shows great improvements compared to the previously reported electrodes for triiodide ion. The proposed membrane sensor can be used for at least 6 months without any divergence in the potentials. The electrode was successfully applied as an indicator electrode in the titration of triiodide with thiosulfate ion.