Amperometric determination of chemical oxygen demand using boron-doped diamond (BDD) sensor

A new application of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode was developed for detecting chemical oxygen demand (COD) by amperometric method. The effects of some basic experimental parameters including pH and applied potential on the response of the BDD electrode were investigated and the optimal operating conditions were obtained. In the COD tests of standard samples, a wide linear range of 20–9000 mg l⁻¹ COD and a low detection limit of 7.5 mg l⁻¹ COD were well established with the present approach. Additionally, the BDD sensor was successfully employed to determine the COD of real samples from various chemical or pharmaceutical wastewaters and the performance still kept stable after over 400 measurements. The results obtained indicated that, as compared with the conventional COD determination techniques, the proposed sensor was an environmentally friendly method with the advantages of short analysis period, simplicity, and no requirement of complicated sample pretreatment even for a sample containing relatively high concentration of organic pollutants.     

Influence of the surface termination on the electrochemical properties of boron-doped diamond (BDD) interfaces

The paper reports on the electrochemical study of heavily boron-doped diamond (BDD) in aqueous media. Cyclic voltammetry and Mott-Schottky analysis were used to evaluate the influence of the surface termination on the electrochemical properties of BDD electrodes. The behavior of aminated BDD (NH₂–BDD) interfaces, prepared from hydrogen-terminated BDD using NH₃ plasma and from photochemically oxidized BDD (HO–BDD) using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMES), are investigated and compared to those of H–BDD and HO–BDD. While H–BDD and HO–BDD electrodes show classical semiconductor behavior, amine-terminated BDD interfaces exhibit metallic behavior at pH < 10 and a semiconductor behavior at more basic pH.     

Electrochemical behavior of nitrogen gas species adsorbed onto boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes

The adsorption of nitrogen species, in neutral electrolyte solutions, onto boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode surfaces from dissolved NO2, NO, and N2O gases was induced at 0 V/SCE. Modified BDD electrode surfaces showed a different electrochemical response toward the hydrogen evolution reaction than did a nonmodified electrode surface in electrolyte base solution. The formation of molecular hydrogen and nitrogen gaseous species was confirmed by the online differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) technique. Among the three nitrogen oxides gases, NO2 substantially modifies the electrolyte via hydrolysis leading to the formation of NO3- and its adsorption on the BDD electrode surface. The BDD/(NO3-) interface was the only N2O and N2 species generating system.     

Biofouling and in situ electrochemical cleaning of a boron-doped diamond free chlorine sensor

Biofouling presents a significant obstacle to the long-term use of electrochemical sensors in complex media. Drinking water biofilms reduce performance of sensors by insulating electrode surfaces by inter alia inhibiting mass transport. Boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes are relatively resistant to biofouling and inert at high potentials. These qualities can be exploited to create a drinking water quality sensor that resists biofouling to meet performance criteria for longer, and to enable electrochemical cleaning of the sensor surface in situ using high potentials without disconnecting or disassembling the sensor.A purpose-built BDD wall-jet sensor was compared with a glassy carbon (GC) sensor in ability to determine free chlorine, detect biofilm and remove biofilm in situ. It was found that the BDD produced accurate and reliable readings with a 4.86% standard error and a LOD of 0.18 ppm. The BDD could be electrochemically cleaned in situ whereas this was less successful with the GC electrode. The BDD electrode could also detect electroactive pyocyanin, secreted in the biofilm of the drinking water biofilm indicator organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa, potentially enabling biofouling and non-biological fouling such as scaling to be distinguished. Observed changes in flow sensitivity and current-voltage curves that correspond to fouling provide multiple fouling detection methods, resulting in an accurate, sensitive, water quality sensor that can be cleaned without disassembly or replacement of parts and can identify when cleaning is required.     

Structural and electrochemical heterogeneities of boron-doped diamond surfaces

This brief review is focussed on the recent progress in studies of the heterogeneous electrochemical behaviour of various boron-doped materials extending from zero-dimensional particles through polycrystalline or nanostructured three-dimensional surfaces. A boron-doped diamond reveals large heterogeneities induced by numerous factors, inter alia multi-faceted crystallinity, inhomogeneous boron concentration, sp²/sp³-carbon ratio, surface terminations and grain size distribution. We also present single nanodiamond particles and a nanostructured diamond, which are fabricated by either a top-down or a bottom-up procedure. Nanoarchitectured surfaces allow high areas and large aspect ratios to be achieved, exhibiting highly heterogeneous charge-transfer performance for catalytic, sensing and energy applications. We have anticipated multi-factor-originated heterogeneities of various boron-doped diamond surfaces displaying the essential fabrication and diagnostic methodologies and critically reviewing their benefits and drawbacks.     

Preparation of boron-doped diamond nanowires and their application for sensitive electrochemical detection of tryptophan

The paper reports on the fabrication and electrochemical investigation of boron-doped diamond nanowires (BDD NWs) electrodes. The nanowires were obtained directly from highly doped polycrystalline diamond substrates using reactive ion etching (RIE) with oxygen plasma. The technique does not require any complicated processing steps such as mask deposition or template removal. The influence of the surface state on the electrochemical characteristics is discussed. The interface with the most favourable electrochemical response is investigated for the detection of tryptophan using differential pulse voltammetry. A detection limit of 5 × 10^?7 M was obtained on oxidized BDD NWs, as compared to 1 × 10^?5 M recorded on planar oxidized boron-doped diamond interfaces.     

The electrochemical oxidation of homocysteine at boron-doped diamond electrodes with application to HPLC amperometric detection

The electrochemical oxidation of homocysteine was studied at as-deposited and anodized (oxidized) boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin film electrodes with cyclic voltammetry, flow injection analysis and high-pressure liquid chromatography with amperometric detection. At anodized boron-doped diamond electrodes, highly reproducible, well-defined cyclic voltammograms for homocysteine oxidation were obtained in acidic media, while as-deposited diamond did not provide a detectable signal. In alkaline media, however, the oxidation response was obtained both at as-deposited and anodized diamond electrodes. The potential sweep rate dependence of homocysteine oxidation (peak currents for 1 mM homocysteine linearly proportional to v(1/2), within the range of 0.01 to 0.3 V s(-1)) indicates that the oxidation involves a diffusing species, with negligible adsorption on the BDD surface at this concentration. In the flow system, BDD exhibited a highly reproducible amperometric response, with a peak variation less than 2%. An extremely low detection limit (1 nM) was obtained at 1.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl. In addition, the determination of homocysteine in a standard mixture with aminothiols and disulfide compounds by means of isocratic reverse-phase HPLC with amperometric detection at diamond electrodes has been investigated. The results showed excellent separation, with a detection limit of 1 pmol and a linear range of three orders of magnitude.     

Self-assembled sensor based on boron-doped diamond and its application in voltammetric analysis of picloram

A self-assembled sensor based on a boron-doped diamond was investigated as a sensitive tool for voltammetric analysis of a member of a pyridine herbicide family - picloram. A cyclic voltammetry and a differential pulse voltammetry were applied for investigation of the voltammetric behaviour and quantification of this herbicide. Picloram yielded one well-developed irreversible oxidation signal at a very positive potential about +1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl/3 mol L^?1 KCl electrode in an acidic medium and 1 mol L^?1 H₂SO₄ was chosen as a suitable supporting electrolyte. Operating parameters of differential pulse voltammetry were optimized and the proposed voltammetric method provided a high repeatability (a relative standard deviation of 20 repeated measurements at a concentration level of picloram of 50 µmol L^?1 equaled to 2.58%), a linear concentration range from 2.5 to 90.9 µmol L^?1 and a low limit of detection (LD = 1.64 µmol L^?1). Practical usefulness of the ‘environmentally-green’ electrochemical sensor was verified by an analysis of spiked water samples with satisfactory recoveries.     

Direct and mediated electrochemical oxidation of ammonia on boron-doped diamond electrode

Direct (non-mediated) electrochemical oxidation of ammonia on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode proceeds mainly at high pH (> 8) via free ammonia (NH₃) oxidation. To enhance ammonia oxidation on BDD at low pH (< 8), where mainly ammonium (NH₄⁺) is present, oxidation of ammonia was mediated by active free chlorine. In this process, electro-generated in situ active chlorine rapidly reacts with ammonia instead of being further electro-oxidized to chlorate at the electrode surface. Thus, active chlorine effectively removes ammonia from an acidic solution, while the formation of by-products such as chlorate and possibly perchlorate is minimized.     

Fabrication and electrochemical behaviour of vertically aligned boron-doped diamond nanorod forest electrodes

Vertically aligned boron-doped diamond nanorod forests (BDDNF) were successfully fabricated by depositing a diamond film onto silicon nanowires (SiNWs) using hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The boron-doped diamond nanorods were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The BDDNF obtained from the SiNWs on the silicon wafer could be directly used as an electrode and its electrochemical behaviour is discussed here. Compared to a flat boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode, the BDDNF electrode showed high sensitivity in the amperometric detection of adenine.     

Electrochemical detection of ascorbic acid and serotonin at a boron-doped diamond electrode modified with poly(N,N-dimethylaniline)

The electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA) and serotonin (5-HT) at a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode modified with poly(N,N-dimethylaniline) (PDMA) has been studied. The oxidation potentials of 5-HT and AA overlapped after mixing of the two chemicals, due to interference of AA at the bare BDD electrode. However, after modifying the BDD electrode with a cationic polymer (PDMA), the oxidation peaks of 5-HT and AA were separated. PDMA-coated BDD electrodes can be used for simultaneous detection of these species.     

Microchip capillary electrophoresis with a boron-doped diamond electrochemical detector for analysis of aromatic amines

The attractive features of a boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin-film detector for microchip capillary electrophoretic (CE) separations of dye-related amino-substituted aromatic compounds are described. The diamond electrode was employed in the end-column amperometric detection of 4-aminophenol (4-AP), 1,2-phenylenediamine (1,2-PDA), 2-aminonaphthalene (2-AN), 2-chloroaniline (2-CA), and o-aminobenzoic acid (o-ABA), and its attractive behavior was compared to commonly used screen-printed carbon and glassy-carbon electrodes. These conventional electrode materials exhibit a significant degree of passivation and low sensitivity to the above-mentioned environmental pollutants. The diamond-based electrochemical detection system displayed a favorable analytical performance, including lower noise levels, higher peak resolution with enhanced sensitivity, and improved resistance against electrode passivation. Factors influencing the on-chip analysis were assessed and optimized. The diamond detector displayed detection limits of 2.0 and 1.3 microM for 4-AP and 2-AN, respectively, and a wide linear response for these compounds over the 2-50 microM range. The enhanced stability was demonstrated by relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 1.4% and 4.7% for 100 microM 1,2-PDA and 200 microM 2-CA, respectively, for repetitive detections (n = 7). Besides, the simultaneously observed current decrease was 2.4 and 9.1% for 1,2-PDA and 2-CA, respectively (compared to 21.8 and 41.0% at the screen-printed carbon electrode and 28.3 and 34.1% at the glassy carbon electrode, respectively). The favorable properties of the diamond electrode indicate great promise for environmental applications in CE and other microchip devices.     

Study of the electrochemical degradation of diclofenac on a boron-doped diamond electrode by UV spectroscopy

Electrochemical degradation of diclofenac in aqueous solutions was studied using a thin-film boron-doped diamond electrode deposited onto a niobium plate. The process was monitored by means of UV spectroscopy and elemental analysis.     

Characterization and application of an electrode modified by mechanically immobilized copper hexacyanoferrate

A newly modified electrode was prepared by mechanical immobilization of copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) on a graphite electrode. The modified electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetric experiments. The effect of different background electrolytes, pHs and scan rates on the electrochemical behaviour of the electrode has been evaluated. In NH₄Cl two reversible redox peaks were observed. The first redox peak corresponding to Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ is observed only in this medium. The second redox peak corresponds to the Fe(CN)₆ ^4–/Fe(CN)₆ ^3– couple. Both anodic peaks were used for catalytic oxidation of ascorbic acid. As the anodic current for catalytic oxidation was proportional to the amount of ascorbic acid, an analytical method was developed for the determination of ascorbic acid in commercial samples.     

Characterization and application of an electrode modified by mechanically immobilized copper hexacyanoferrate

A newly modified electrode was prepared by mechanical immobilization of copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) on a graphite electrode. The modified electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetric experiments. The effect of different background electrolytes, pHs and scan rates on the electrochemical behaviour of the electrode has been evaluated. In NH₄Cl two reversible redox peaks were observed. The first redox peak corresponding to Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ is observed only in this medium. The second redox peak corresponds to the Fe(CN)₆ ^4–/Fe(CN)₆ ^3– couple. Both anodic peaks were used for catalytic oxidation of ascorbic acid. As the anodic current for catalytic oxidation was proportional to the amount of ascorbic acid, an analytical method was developed for the determination of ascorbic acid in commercial samples. Received: 26 May 1998 / Revised: 15 March 1999 / Accepted: 20 March 1999     

Determination of 1-hydroxypyrene in human urine by HPLC with electrochemical detection at a boron-doped diamond film electrode

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED) at a boron-doped diamond film electrode with preliminary separation and preconcentration by solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been developed for the determination of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP) in human urine. 1-HP is among the most widely used biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Optimal HPLC-ED conditions have been found: mobile phase methanol-0.05 mol L(-1) phosphate buffer pH 5.0 (80:20, v/v), detection potential +1,000 mV versus Ag/AgCl (3 mol L(-1) KCl), and flow rate 0.8 mL min(-1). For SPE, LiChrolut(?) RP-18 E cartridges were used. The extraction yield was (87.0 ± 5.8)% (n = 5). The concentration dependence of 1-HP was measured in the concentration range from 0.01 to 10 μmol L(-1) (2.18-2,180 μg L(-1)) using methanolic solutions resulting from the SPE pretreatment of spiked human urine samples. The limit of detection (signal-to-noise ratio 3) and the limit of quantification (signal-to-noise ratio 10) of the biomarker were 0.013 μmol L(-1) (2.84 μg L(-1)) and 0.043 μmol L(-1) (9.39 μg L(-1)), respectively, which is sufficient for its determination in the urine of persons exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

纳米复合物修饰电极的电化学传感器检测芦丁

研制了纳米复合物修饰电极,碳纳米管与表面含有大量氨基的壳聚糖在玻碳电极表面首先形成碳纳米管/壳聚糖膜,通过膜表面丰富的氨基与纳米Au的强静电吸附,在玻碳电极表面获得均匀致密的纳米金修饰层.这种基于纳米复合材料制备的新型电化学传感器对芦丁具有很好的响应,可以快速地实现电极与芦丁之间的直接电子转移,有良好的稳定性.芦丁的测定线性范围为4.00×10-7～1.77×10-5 mol/L,最低检测限为1.29×10-7 mol/L.由于抗坏血酸在该修饰电极上的氧化电位出现显著负移,因此可避免抗坏血酸对芦丁测定的干扰.该方法可以不经预分离直接检测药物中的芦丁含量.     

Titrimetric determination of tin with potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) in the presence of redox indicators

A titrimetric determination of tin^II in strong hydrochloric acid solution with standard potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) solution using 3,3'-dimethylnaphthidine or o-dianisidine as indicator is described.     

Electrocrystallization of Phase I, CuTCNQ (TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-Tetracyanoquinodimethane), on indium tin oxide and boron-doped diamond electrodes

The electrochemical reduction of TCNQ to TCNQ*- in acetonitrile in the presence of [Cu(MeCN)4]+ has been undertaken at boron-doped diamond (BDD) and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. The nucleation and growth process at BDD is similar to that reported previously at metal electrodes. At an ITO electrode, the electrocrystallization of more strongly adhered, larger, branched, needle-shaped phase I CuTCNQ crystals is detected under potential step conditions and also when the potential is cycled over the potential range of 0.7 to -0.1 V versus Ag/AgCl (3 M KCl). Video imaging can be used at optically transparent ITO electrodes to monitor the growth stage of the very large branched crystals formed during the course of electrochemical experiments. Both in situ video imaging and ex situ X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data are consistent with the nucleation of CuTCNQ taking place at a discrete number of preferred sites on the ITO surface. At BDD electrodes, ex situ optical images show that the preferential growth of CuTCNQ occurs at the more highly conducting boron-rich areas of the electrode, within which there are preferred sites for CuTCNQ formation.