Demonstration of the advantages of using bamboo-like nanotubes for electrochemical biosensor applications compared with single walled carbon nanotubes

The modification of glassy carbon electrodes with random dispersions of nanotubes is currently the most popular approach to the preparation of carbon nanotube modified electrodes. The performance of glassy carbon electrodes modified with a random dispersion of bamboo type carbon nanotubes was compared with single walled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrodes and bare glassy carbon electrodes. The electrochemical performance of all three types for electrode were compared by investigating the electrochemistry with solution species and the oxidation of guanine and adenine bases of surface adsorbed DNA. The presence of edge planes of graphene at regular intervals along the walls of the bamboo nanotubes resulted in superior electrochemical performance relative to SWNT modified electrodes from two aspects. Firstly, with solution species the peak separation of the oxidation and reduction waves were smaller indicating more rapid rates of electron transfer. Secondly, a greater number of electroactive sites along the walls of the bamboo-carbon nanotubes (BCNTs) resulted in larger current signals and a broader dynamic range for the oxidation of DNA bases.     

Microwave plasma treated carbon nanotubes and their electrochemical biosensing application

A convenient microwave plasma treatment method with ammonia precursor was proposed to enhance the solubility of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The SEM, XRD and FTIR spectra clearly demonstrated that the carbon skeleton structure of the resultant ammonia plasma-treated CNTs (ammonia PT-CNTs) was not destroyed and amine groups of different forms were successfully coupled to CNTs in the MWP treatment process. The ammonia PT-CNTs have excellent solubility in water and are insoluble in nonpolar tetrahydrofuran, and the cyclic voltammograms suggest that the enhanced wetting properties clearly favor faster electron transfer kinetics on the ammonia PT-CNT electrodes. By choosing glucose oxidase as a model enzyme, the application of the ammonia PT-CNTs in construction of biosensors was further investigated. Due to the biocompatibility and electron transfer capability of the ammonia PT-CNTs, the resultant GOD biosensor displayed a good sensing performance. The biosensor has a fast response of less than 10 s, and the response current linearly increases with the glucose concentration in the range of 1.2 × 10⁻⁴ to 7.5 × 10⁻³ M with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M.     

Effect of oxidative treatment on the electrochemical properties of aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were grown on the surface of electroconductive silicon substrate by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of a mixture of toluene and ferrocene vapors at 800°С. The anisotropic structure of the array that is due to the mutual orientation of MWNTs makes such materials attractive for use as supercapacitor electrodes. The effect of iron nanoparticles encapsulated in MWNTs as a result of synthesis on the electrochemical capacity of the sample in a 1 М H₂SO₄ solution was studied. Iron was removed during the thermal treatment of the MWNT array in a 20% H₂SO₄ solution under the normal or hydrothermal conditions. The contribution of redox processes involving iron was shown to be comparable to the contribution of the double-layer capacity of MWNTs. The hydrothermal treatment allows easy separation of the array from the silicon substrate without any loss of electric coupling of MWNTs.     

多壁碳纳米管功能化及其在电化学葡萄糖传感器中的应用

利用硅烷偶联剂的表面修饰技术,将氨基丙基三乙氧基硅烷(APS)共价接枝到酸处理后的碳纳米管的表面.红外光谱数据证实了该反应的可行性.修饰后的碳纳米管在水中具有良好的分散性.利用西夫碱反应将氨基化的碳纳米管与醛基化的葡萄糖氧化酶共价层层自组装到电极表面,获得灵敏度可控的葡萄糖传感器.用电化学交流阻抗法和扫描电镜对成膜过程...     

DNA functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes for electrochemical detection

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were effectively dispersed and functionalized by wrapping with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The ssDNA-SWNTs attach strongly on glass substrate and easily form a uniform film, making it possible for electrochemical analysis and sensing. The film was fabricated into a working electrode, which exhibited good electrochemical voltammetric properties, such as flat and wide potential window, well-defined quasi-reversible voltammetric responses, and quick electron transfer for a Fe(CN)6(3-)/Fe(CN)6(4) system, indicating that the ssDNA-SWNTs film should be a good analytical electrode for electrochemical detection or sensing. This was demonstrated by highly selective and sensitive detection of a low concentration of dopamine in the presence of excess ascorbic acid.     

The influence of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide on electrochemical properties of thyroxine reduction at carbon nanotubes modified electrode

The effect of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) on the electrochemical behaviors of thyroxine at a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was investigated. At the SWNTs film-coated GCE, a well-defined oxidation peak of thyroxine at 0.78 V was obtained, but the reduction peak of thyroxine was indiscernible. When trace CTAB was added to the working solution, the reduction current could be greatly enhanced and the oxidation current remained stable. The reaction mechanisms for the reduction of thyroxine were explored by chronocoulometry. Thyroxine might form particular ion complex with CTAB via the interaction between iodine atoms on thyroxine and bromide ions in CTAB, which made the concentration of thyroxine at the surface of the modified electrode increased and the electron transfer rate enhanced. The proper mechanisms for the enhanced reduction of thyroxine in the present of CTAB were explored by several electrochemical techniques including cycle voltammetry linear sweep voltammetry and others. It was concluded that the special interactions between the thyroxine CTAB and SWNTs resulted in the increase of the reduction peak current. All results indicated that two iodine atoms on the thyroxine and four electrons were involved the reduction process which was irreversible and two iodine ions produced. In this system, the sensitive reduction peak of thyroxine at 0.3 V was employed to determine thyroxine and a low detection limit of 2x10(-8) mol/L was obtained for 2 min accumulation at 0.9 V. The SWNTs coated GCE had good stability and reproducibility.     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of composites based on carbon nanotubes and polyaniline

composites made of polyaniline and multiwalled carbon nanotubes have been electrochemically synthesized. The modification of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by a salt of phenyldiazonium significantly increases the redox currents of the polyaniline matrix in the composite. As a result of modification, the conformational state of polyaniline macrochains changes, leading to changes in the morphology, structure, and chemical composition of the composite.     

The electrochemical behavior of dopamine at glassy carbon electrode modified by Nafion multiwalled carbon nanotubes

DFT (B3LY/6-31G (d, p) and B3LYP/cc-PVDZ) calculations are performed for deoxidized dopamine (DA_(R)) and its oxidized form (DA_(O)). The electrochemistry of dopamine (DA) was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) at a glassy carbon electrode modified by Nafion multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in phosphate buffers at pH 5.4, showing that the standard electrode potential of a half reaction for DA_(O), H⁺/DA_(R) is 0.74 V. This experimental standard electrode potential of the half reaction is consistent with those of 0.65 and 0.69 V calculated using the energies of solvation and the sum of the electronic and thermal free energies of DA_(R) and DA_(O). The frontier orbital theory and Mulliken charges of molecules explain the electrochemical behavior of CV at a modified electrode well. The effects of oxygen on DA_(R) in blood and drug are also discussed according to equilibrium theory. The modified electrode was successful for determination of the content of pharmaceutical DA. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

High-yield bamboo-shaped carbon nanotubes from cresol for electrochemical application

High-yield bamboo-shaped carbon nanotubes (BCNTs) have been produced by using cresol as the precursor, for the first time and there are almost no straight CNTs or amorphous carbon found in the product: the role of cresol in promoting the growth of BCNTs is discussed; improved cycle stability and electric conductivity of the BCNTs as an anode additive in a lithium ion battery are achieved.     

对氯酚在碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极上的电化学行为研究

研究了对氯酚在多壁碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极（MWNTs/GC）上的电化学行为。MWNTs/GC电极对对氯酚具有良好的电催化作用,相比玻碳电极对氯酚的氧化峰电位负移76 mV,峰电流达到玻碳电极上的8倍。通过线性扫描伏安法研究了富集时间、溶液pH和扫描速率对对氯酚氧化的影响。并采用计时电流法研究了氧化峰电流与对氯酚的浓度关系,结果显示峰电流与对氯酚的浓度在2.0×10^-7-2.0×10^-4mol/L范围内呈良好线性关系,检出限为8.8×10-8mol/L（S/N=3）。放置7 d后,对氯酚在碳纳米管上的峰电流仍能达到最初电流的96.2%,表明电极的稳定性较好。     

Synthesis by arc-discharge method and electrochemical lithium insertion properties of double-walled carbon nanotubes

Double-walled carbon nanotubes could be synthesized by arc-discharge method using ball-milling mixtures of iron, cobalt, nickel and sulfide as catalysts. Structures of these carbon nanotubes were characterized by TEM, HRTEM and Raman spectroscopy. Also the lithium insertion properties were examined. The results showed that the irreversible capacity of the double-walled carbon nanotube lithium ion batteries is high, which is considered to be related to the formation of SEI on the surface of the electrodes in the process of electrochemistry reaction. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2008, vol. 44, No. 11, pp. 1333–1336. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Investigation of modified basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes: definitive evidence for the electrocatalytic properties of the ends of carbon nanotubes

The basis of the electrocatalytic nature of multi-wall carbon nanotubes is suggested to reside in electron transfer from the ends of nanotubes, which structurally resemble the behaviour of edge plane (as opposed to basal plane) graphite, and is demonstrated via the comparison of the electrochemical oxidation of epinephrine and the electrochemical reduction of ferricyanide at nanotube-modified electrodes using different types of graphite electrodes and with C(60)-modified electrodes.     

Functional mesoporous carbon nanotubes and their integration in situ with metal nanocrystals for enhanced electrochemical performances

Functional mesoporous carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) and their integration in situ with Pt nanocrystals (Pt/MCNTs) have been designed and successfully developed via a facile route, which exhibited enhanced performances in energy storage and conversion applications.     

纳米金、碳纳米管和纳米线及其在电化学生物传感器研究中的应用

综述了1995～2007年间,纳米金、碳纳米管和纳米线材料及其在电化学生物传感器研究中的新进展,引用文献60篇.     

Co-adsorption of CO molecules at the open ends of MgO nanotubes

Equilibrium geometries, stabilities, and electronic properties of the adsorption of a CO molecule along with two or three CO co-adsorptions at the open ends of MgO nanotubes have been investigated through density functional calculations. It was found that the interaction of CO molecule with ends of the tube is much stronger than that of with its exterior surface. It was also found that adsorption of the second CO molecule at the end of the tube is independent of the first adsorbed CO molecule, while the prior adsorption process impacts the third adsorption. This phenomenon was described based on the frontier molecular orbital analysis, showing that the third CO molecule has to interact with high energetic unoccupied orbitals instead of the LUMO. Furthermore, it was revealed that similar to CO adsorption on the exterior surface of the tube, the adsorption at its open ends is electronically harmless.     

Nucleation of carbon nanotubes and their bundles at the surface of catalyst melt

The kinetics of nanotube nucleation from a carbon-supersaturated nanodrop of a catalytic metal was considered. The problem of nucleation of the solid phase from a supersaturated melt was considered with allowance for the particular boundary conditions and the specificity of carbon structure. The solutions are obtained for the cases of extended and surface substrate nanopores, in which the carbon-supersaturated nanodrops are located. The threshold nucleation temperatures were determined for the single-and multiwall nanotubes and their bundles. The dependences of the nanotube size and the required supersaturation level on the temperature and nanodrop size are determined.     

二苯氨基碳酰肼在多壁碳纳米管修饰电极上的电催化氧化及电化学动力学研究

肼及其衍生物被广泛应用于医药,农药,水处理,军事,航天,光稳定剂以及化工生产助剂等诸多领域。因此对肼及其衍生物的研究有着极其重要的意义。二苯氨基碳酰肼(二苯氨基脲,又名二苯卡巴肼,D iphenyl Carbazide,DPC)广泛用于重金属离子的检测分析[1-4]。但是,目前关于DPC的电化学     

苦参碱在多壁碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极上的电催化氧化及其电分析方法

研究了苦参碱(Matrine, MT) 在多壁碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极(MWCNT/GCE)上的电化学行为. 与GCE相比, MT在MWCNT/GCE上峰电位负移120 mV, 峰电流增大约2.5倍, 表明MWCNT/GCE对MT的电化学氧化具有良好的催化作用. 同时测定并计算了MT在MWCNT/GCE上的电极过程动力学参数: 电子转移系数α、电极反应速率常数ks、扩散系数D. 运用差分脉冲伏安法对苦参碱样品含量进行测定, 相对标准偏差为0.12%～2.9%, 加标回收率为98.4%～99.0%. 该方法可用于MT的电化学定量测定.     

Electrochemical synthesis and one step modification of PMProDot nanotubes and their enhanced electrochemical properties

Poly (3,4-(2-methylene)propylenedioxythiophene) (PMProDot) nanotubes were synthesized within the pores of polycarbonate and were further modified with styrene and vinylcarbazole by a one step electrochemical method through the methylene functional group. The enhanced electrochemical and electrochromic properties of composite nanotubes were investigated using FTIR, UV/Vis absorbance spectroscopy, and AFM.