Post‐Treatment of CH3NH3PbI3/PbI2 Composite Films with Methylamine to Realize High‐Performance Photoconductor Devices

Organometallic halide perovskites have attracted great research interest as light‐active materials for use in optoelectronics. Here, we report a high‐performance photoconductor based on a methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI₃) film that was prepared from a methylamine‐treated MAPbI₃/PbI₂ perovskite film. An ultrahigh responsivity of 3.6 A W^?1 and detectivity of 5.4×10¹² Jones were obtained for the film under 0.5 mW cm^?2 white‐light illumination. In addition, under 420 nm light irradiation, the film exhibited its highest responsivity and detectivity of 30 A W^?1 and 2.4×10¹⁴ Jones, respectively. The excellent photo‐response performance results from the improved electronic quality and suppressed nonradiative recombination channels of the treated perovskite thin film.     

An H2O2 Biosensor Based on Immobilization of Horseradish Peroxidase Labeled Nano‐Au in Silica Sol‐Gel/Alginate Composite Film

Abstract

A novel approach to assemble an H₂O₂ amperometric biosensor was introduced. The biosensor was constructed by entrapping horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled nano‐scaled particulate gold (nano‐Au) (HRP‐nano‐Au electrostatic composite) in a new silica sol‐gel/alginate hybrid film using glassy carbon electrode as based electrode. This suggested strategy fully merged the merits of sol‐gel derived inorganic‐organic composite film and the nano‐Au intermediator. The silica sol‐gel/alginate hybrid material can improve the properties of conventional sol‐gel material and effectively prevent cracking of film. The entrapment of HRP in the form of HRP‐nano‐Au can not only factually prevent the leaking of enzyme out of the film but also provide a favorable microenvironment for HRP. With hydroquinone as an electron mediator, the proposed HRP electrode exhibited good catalytic activity for the reduction of H₂O₂. The parameters affecting both the qualities of sol‐gel/alginate hybrid film and the biosensor response were optimized. The biosensor exhibited high sensitivity of 0.40 Al mol^?1 cm^?2 for H₂O₂ over a wide linear range of concentration from 1.22×10^?5 to 1.46×10^?3 mol L^?1, rapid response of <5 s and a detection limit of 0.61×10^?6 mol L^?1. The enzyme electrode has remarkable stability and retained 86% of its initial activity after 45 days of storage in 0.1 mol L^?1 Tris‐HCl buffer solutions at pH 7.     

Electrosynthesis and characterization of poly(hydroxy-methylated-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) film in aqueous micellar solution and its biosensing application

A new and efficient synthetic route to hydroxymethylated-3,4-ethylenedioxylthiophene（EDOT-MeOH） was developed by a simple four-step sequence,and its global yield was approximately 41.06%.The poly（hydroxymethylated-3, 4-ethylenedioxylthiophene）（PEDOT-MeOH） film was electrosynthesized in aqueous sodium dodecylsulfate micellar solutions and characterized by different methods.The EDOT-MeOH possessed better water solubility,and lower onset oxidation potential than EDOT.The as-obtained PEDOT-MeOH film displayed good reversible redox activity,stability and capacitance properties in a monomer-free electrolyte,especially the good solubility of PEDOT-MeOH film in strong polar organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and tetrahydrofuran created a potential application in many different fields. Fluorescent spectra indicated that PEDOT-MeOH was a yellow-green-light-emitter with maximum emission at 568 nm.The as-formed PEDOT-MeOH film had good biocompatibility and was used for fabricating the electrochemical vitamin C biosensor.The proposed biosensor showed a linear range of 3×10^-6 mol/L to 1.2×10^-2 mol/L with the detection limit of 1μmol/L,a sensitivity of 95.6μA（mmol/L）^-1 cm^-2,and a current response time less than 10 s and a fairly good stability (The relative standard deviation was 0.43%for 20 successive assays,the proposed biosensor still retained 93.5%of bioactivity after 15 days storage.This result indicated that the prepared PEDOT-MeOH film as immobilization matrix of biologically-active species could be a promising candidate for the design and application of biosensor.     

Amperometric Ethanol Biosensor Based on Carbon Nanotubes Dispersed in Sol–Gel‐Derived Titania–Nafion Composite Film

Composite solution of sol–gel‐derived titania and perfluorosulfonated ionomer (Nafion) was used as a solubilizing agent for multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT) as well as an encapsulation matrix for alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) for the fabrication of a highly sensitive and stable amperometric ethanol biosensor. ADH was immobilized within a thin film of CNT–titania–Nafion composite film coated on a glassy carbon electrode. Because of the mesoporous nature of the CNT–titania–Nafion composite film, the present biosensor exhibited remarkably fast response time within 2 s. The presence of CNT in the composite film increases not only the sensitivity of the ethanol biosensor but also the long‐term stability of the biosensor. The present biosensor responds linearly to ethanol in the wide concentration ranges from 1.0×10^?5 M to 3.0×10^?3 M with the sensitivity of 51.6 mA M^?1cm^?2. The present biosensor showed good long‐term stability with 75% of its activity retained after 4 weeks of storage in 50 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.0.     

Preparation of GOD/Sol‐Gel Silica Film on Prussian Blue Modified Electrode for Glucose Biosensor Application

A novel amperometric glucose biosensor was fabricated by in situ incorporating glucose oxidase (GOD) within the sol‐gel silica film on a Prussian blue (PB) modified electrode. The method is simple and controllable, which combined the merits of in situ immobilizing biomolecules in sol‐gel silica film by electrochemical method and the synergic catalysis effects of PB and GOD molecules. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the GOD/sol‐gel silica film was homogeneous with a large number of three‐dimensional nanopores, which not only enhanced mass transport, but also maintained the active configuration of the enzyme molecule and prevented the leakage of enzyme, therefore improved the stability and sensitivity of the biosensor. The fabricated biosensor showed fast response time (10 s), high sensitivity (26.6 mA cm^?2 M^?1), long‐term stability, good suppression of interference, and linear range of 0.01 mM–5.8 mM with a low detection limit of 0.94 μM for the detection of glucose. In addition, the biosensor was successfully applied to determine glucose in human serum samples.     

Optical biosensors based on Prussian Blue films

Optical biosensing schemes based on enzymatically modified inorganic/organic transparent films predominately composed of Prussian Blue are demonstrated. The composite film, which is non-electrochemically deposited on a non-conducting support. is used as an optical transducer for flow-through biosensors based on hydrolases and oxidases. Urease and glucose oxidase are utilized as model enzymes. Action of the urea biosensor is based on optical pH sensitivity of Prussian Blue indicator. The glucose biosensor is acting as first-generation optical biosensor based on in situ generated Prussian White transducer for hydrogen peroxide. These simple, single-pass transmission optical biosensors exhibit sensitivity in the millimolar range of concentration. The biosensors are very stable owing to presence of a poly(pyrrolylbenzoic acid) network in the composite material. This organic polymer plays a dual role as a binding agent for inorganic material and as a functionalized support for strong covalent immobilization of enzyme molecules.     

Design of an amperometric xanthine biosensor based on a graphite transducer patterned with noble metal microparticles

A mesoporous graphite material micro-structured with palladium-platinum deposits (mixed in the ratio of 70:30% Pd:Pt) has been used as a cost-effective electrode material for designing an amperometric biosensor for xanthine. The here reported biosensor shows significantly improved operational parameters as compared to previously published results. At a constant applied potential of −0.05 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) it is distinguished with enhanced selectivity of the determination: at the working potential the current from the electrochemical transformation of various electrochemically active substances usually attending biological fluids (incl. uric acid, L-ascorbic acid, glutathione and paracetamol) has been eliminated. The effect of both the temperature and buffer composition on the analytical performance of the sensor has been investigated. Under optimal operational conditions (25°C, −0.05 V vs. Ag/AgCl, phosphate buffer, pH 8.4), the following have been defined for the biosensor: sensitivity 0.39 μA μM⁻¹, strict linearity of the response up to xanthine concentration 70 μM, detection limit of 1.5 μM (S/N=3) and a response time of at most 60 s.     

Sensitivity enhancement of SPR biosensor with silver mirror reaction on the Ag/Au film

Based on well-known silver mirror reaction the Ag film was formed on Au film modified by self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 1,6-hexanedithiol (HDT). The sensitivity of the biosensor based on this Ag/Au film is enhanced compared to that based on Au film. When the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor based on this Ag/Au film was used to determine human IgG, the range of concentrations of human IgG that could be determined is 0.30-40.00 μg mL⁻¹. The lowest concentration (0.30 μg mL⁻¹) that could be detected was about 8 times lower than that obtained by the biosensor without modification by Ag film (2.50 μg mL⁻¹), which demonstrated that the biosensor based on Ag/Au film could make the resonant wavelength move to longer wavelength following with the sensitivity enhancement of the SPR biosensor.     

High-Sensitive Glucose Biosensor Based on Ionic Liquid Doped Polyaniline/Prussian Blue Composite Film

The Prussian blue/ionic liquid-polyaniline/multiwall carbon nanotubes (PB/IL-PANI/MWNTs) composite film was fabricated by using cyclic voltammetry. The ion liquid acting as a lubricating agent, could enhance the electron delocalization degree and reduce the struc-tural defects of the polyaniline. The surface morphology of the composite film revealed that the PB nanoparticles have smaller size than that in pure PB film. Due to the introduction of ion liquid, the PB/IL-PANI/MWNTs composite film showed wonderful synergistic effect which can remarkably enhance sensitivity, expand linear range and broaden acidic adapt-ability for hydrogen peroxide detection. The composite film demonstrated good stability in neutral solution contrast to pure PB film, with a linear range from 2.5 μmol/L to 0.5 mmol/Land a high sensitivity of 736.8 μA·(mmol/L)^-1·cm^-2 for H₂O₂ detection. Based on the com-posite film, an amperometric glucose biosensor was then fabricated by immobilizing glucose oxidase. Under the optimal conditions, the biosensor also exhibits excellent response to glucose with the linear range from 12.5 μmol/L to 1.75 mmol/L and a high sensitivity of 94.79 μA (mmol/L)^-1·cm^-2 for H₂O₂. The detection limit was estimated 1.1 μmol/L. The resulting biosensor was applied to detect the blood sugar in human serum samples without any pretreatment, and the results were comparatively in agreement with the clinical assay.     

An Organic Sol‐Gel Film as Modifier to Construct Biosensor

A new amperometric biosensor for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was developed by adsorbing hemoglobin (Hb) on an organic sol‐gel film. The organic sol‐gel was prepared using resorcinol and formaldehyde as monomers. This sol‐gel film shows a biocompatible microenvironment for retaining the native activity of the adsorbed Hb. The direct electron transfer between Hb and electrode is achieved. Hb adsorbed on the film shows an enzyme‐like catalytic activity for the reduction of H₂O₂. The reduction peak currents are proportional linearly to the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the range of 6×10^?8 to 3.6×10^?6 M, with a detection limit of 2.4×10^?8 M (S/N=3). This research enlarges the applications of organic sol‐gel materials in biosensor field.     

Detection of NADH and ethanol at a graphite electrode modified with titania sol-gel/Meldola’s Blue/MWCNT/Nafion nanocomposite film

For electrocatalytic determination of NADH, a graphite electrode modified with titania sol-gel/Meldola’s Blue/MWCNT/Nafion nanocomposite was proposed. The composition of the matrix film was optimised in terms of the content of carbon nanotubes and Nafion. Incorporation of a redox mediator, Meldola’s Blue, into the nanocomposite film enabled electrocatalytic determination of NADH at a low potential, −50 mV. For determination of ethanol, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was immobilized into the matrix layer. Experimental conditions affecting the biosensor response were examined, including enzyme loading, temperature of measurement and pH of background electrolyte. Assessments of the analytical characteristics of the biosensor were performed with respect to sensitivity, limit of detection, operational stability, repeatability and reproducibility. The proposed biosensor showed electrocatalytic activity toward oxidation of ethanol with sensitivity of 2.24 μA L mmol⁻¹, linear range from 0.05 to 1.1 mmol L⁻¹, and limit of detection of 25 μmol L⁻¹. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant was 1.24 mmol L⁻¹, indicating a high biological affinity of ADH/titania sol-gel/Meldola’s Blue/MWCNT/Nafion electrode for ethanol. The developed biosensor was tested in determinations of ethanol content in alcoholic beverages.     

Quantitative LAMMA analysis of biological specimens I. Standards. II. Isotope labeling

Summary Besides a remarkably high sensitivity for light elements, laser microprobe mass spectroscopy offers two main advantages for microprobe analysis: 1) the possibility to obtain data of relatively high precision and 2) the ability to discriminate isotopes. This opens the possibility to use cold isotopes as atomic labels to study cellular or subcellular kinetics of ions or labelled organic compounds. In this study photoreceptor cells were labelled with ⁴⁴Ca²⁺ prior to LAMMA analysis to monitor Ca²⁺ uptake and/or Ca²⁺ accumulation from extracellular sources into intracellular compartments such as the various pigment granula present in these photoreceptors.As in other microprobe techniques also LAMMA analysis requires internal standards for quantitative work. For this purpose thin films of inorganic material were shown to be useful standards when deposited (in vacuum) directly onto the specimen to be analyzed. Some metals and dielectrica have been tested for their possible suitability for standardisation procedures. Even though metals like Pt, Ag, Au, Al are excellent for thin film production, they seem to be less useful for the present purpose because their threshold for laser induced perforation and ion production is rather different from that of the specimen material. However, thin film deposits of some dielectric materials such as MgF₂ turned out to be more suitable to serve as an internal standard for plastic embedded biological material in LAMMA analysis.

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Quantitative LAMMA-Analyse biologischer Proben. I. Standards. II. Isotopenmarkierung

     

Improvement of surface plasmon resonance biosensor with magnetic beads via assembled polyelectrolyte layers

The conjugates of magnetic beads coupled with an antibody can be trapped on the Au film firmly due to the magnetic force for the immunoassay of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor. However, this approach exhibits significant limitations in robustness and sensitivity due to incomplete dissociation of magnetic beads from the Au film. The incorporation of a polyelectrolyte film on the Au surface can prevent the magnetic beads from the direct contact with the Au film. The layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolyte was used as spacer between the gold surface and the magnetic bead. Different layers of polyelectrolyte can be assembled onto the Au film based on an electrostatic force between polycations and polyanions. After the polyelectrolyte film was fabricated on the Au film, the deposition of the magnetic beads was maintained effectively on the film, which favors the sensitivity of the biosensor and the regeneration of the sensing membrane. When the polyelectrolyte layers of (PAH/PSS)₃ were constructed on the Au film, the SPR biosensor with magnetic beads exhibited a satisfactory response to human IgG in the concentration range from 0.25 to 30.00 μg mL⁻¹, and the determination limit obtained is eight times lower than that obtained with (PAH/PSS)₁ layer.     

Investigation of a Biosensor Based on Phenylalanine Dehydrogenase Immobilized on a Polymer‐Blend Film for Phenylketonuria Diagnosis

We investigated a L ‐phenylalanine (L ‐phe) biosensor, functionalized through enzyme immobilization on a polymer‐blend film. The electron mediator 3,4‐dihydroxybenzaldehyde (3,4‐DHB) was employed at the electrode surface to improve direct oxidation of NADH to NAD⁺ and no additional reagents is required to be added to the sample solution. The bioactivated electrode was coated with a semi‐permeable cellulose acetate membrane in order to prevent dissolution of biofunctionalized polymer‐blend film. This constructed enzyme electrode is the first selective biosensor for phenylketonuria (PKU) detection. The sensitivity of the enzyme electrode was determined as 12.014 mA/M cm². The Michaelis–Menten and current responses as well as sensitivity of the electrode showed improved values than those of previous works. This selective biosensor presented an excellent electroanalytical response for L ‐phe, with a high steady‐state current being obtained after 20 s. The sensitivity of our biodevice is quite sufficient for the purpose of PKU detection because the reference range of clinical concern for L ‐phenylalanine concentration is C_{L ‐phe}>0.5 mM. This surface‐bioactivated enzyme electrode retained more than 80 % of its electrocatalytic activity after 16 days.     

Bioelectrochemical response of a choline biosensor fabricated by using polyaniline

On the basis of the isoelectric point of an enzyme and the doping principle of conducting polymers, choline oxidase was doped in a polyaniline film to form a biosensor. The amperometric detection of choline is based on the oxidation of the H₂O₂ enzymatically produced on the choline biosensor. The response current of the biosensor as a function of temperature was determined from 3 to 40°C. An apparent activation energy of 22.8 kJ·mol⁻¹ was obtained. The biosensor had a wide linear response range from 5 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ M choline with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999 and a detection limit of 0.2 μM, and had a high sensitivity of 61.9 mA·M⁻¹·cm⁻² at 0.50 V and at pH 8.0. The apparent Michaelis constant and the optimum pH for the immobilized enzyme are 1.4 mM choline and 8.4, respectively, which are very close to those of choline oxidase in solution. The effect of selected organic compounds on the response of the choline biosensor was studied.     

Preparation and application of triangular silver nanoplates/chitosan composite in surface plasmon resonance biosensing

This paper reports the utilization of triangular silver nanoplates (TSNPs) to enhance the sensitivity of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor. TSNPs modified with 3-mercaptopropinic acid (MPA) were simply mixed with chitosan and glutaraldehyde to form TSNPs/chitosan composite. The composite was deposited on Au film as immobilization substrate for SPR biosensor. The novel structures of TSNPs are preserved against etching by MPA and chitosan polymer. Moreover, chitosan cross-linked by glutaraldehyde enables antibody to be immobilized on fabricated substrate directly via Schiff alkali reaction. In the optimized conditions, the resulting biosensor based on TSNPs/chitosan composite shows a satisfactory response to bovine IgG in the concentration range of 0.075–40.00 μg mL⁻¹. While the biosensor based on chitosan without TSNPs shows a response in the concentration range of 0.6–40 μg mL⁻¹ and the biosensor based on Au film shows a response in the concentration range of 2.5–40 μg mL⁻¹. The experiment results show that the sensitivity of SPR biosensor based on TSNPs/chitosan composite was significantly enhanced and the immobilization procedure of antibody was simplified.     

Amperometric Glucose Biosensor Based on Pt‐Pd Nanoparticles Supported by Reduced Graphene Oxide and Integrated with Glucose Oxidase

A novel glucose biosensor was developed based on the immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) on reduced graphene oxide incorporated with electrochemically deposited platinum and palladium nanoparticles (PtPdNPs). Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was more hybridized by chemical and heat treatment. Bimetallic nanoparticles were deposited electrochemically on the RGO surface for potential application of the Pd? Pt alloy in biosensor preparation. The as‐prepared hybrid electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activities toward H₂O₂, with a wide linear response range from 0.5 to 8 mM (R²=0.997) and high sensitivity of 814×10^?6 A/mMcm². Furthermore, glucose oxidase with active material was integrated by a simple casting method on the RGO/PdPtNPs surface. The as‐prepared biosensor showed good amperometric response to glucose in the linear range from 2 mM to 12 mM, with a sensitivity of 24×10^?6 A/mMcm², a low detection limit of 0.001 mM, and a short response time (5 s). Moreover, the effect of interference materials, reproducibility and the stability of the sensor were also investigated.     

Analytical Biosensing of Hydrogen Peroxide on Brilliant Cresyl Blue/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

A cationic quinine‐imide dye brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were co‐immobilized within ormosil on multiwalled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode for the fabrication of highly sensitive and selective hydrogen peroxide biosensor. The presence of epoxy group in ormosil as organic moiety improves the mechanical strength and transparency of the film and amino group provides biocompatible microenvironment for the immobilization of enzyme. The presence of MWCNTs improved the conductivity of the nanocomposite film. The surface characterization of MWCNT modified ormosil nanocomposite film was performed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry measurements were used to study and optimize the performance of the resulting peroxide biosensor. The apparent Michaelis–Menten constant was determined to be 1.5 mM. The proposed H₂O₂ biosensor exhibited wide linear range from 3×10^?7 to 1×10^?4 M, and low detection limit 1×10^?7 M (S/N=3) with fast response time <5 s. The probable interferences in bio‐matrix were selected to test the selectivity and no significant response was observed in the biosensor. This biosensor possessed good analytical performance and long term storage stability.     

AP-GOD Biosensor Based on a Modified Poly(PHENOL) Film Electrode and Its Application in the Determination of Low Levels of Phosphate

Abstract

The features of a biosensor based on a platinum electrode modified with a poly(phenol) film coupled with two enzymes, alkaline phosphatase(AP) and glucose oxidase(GOD), were studied. The modification of the surface of the working electrode decreases interference from ascorbic acid, uric acid and some oxidizable organic materials (e.g. glycine), and decreases the noise of the current. The concentration of substrate, the activity ratio of the two enzymes, the applied potential, and the assembling of biosensor are important for the determination of low levels of phosphate.

The two enzymes have been immobilized on an Immobilon^(R) membrane. The linearity range appears in two sections with different sensitivity: one from 8-110 μmol I^?1 and another one from 0.1-1.0 mmol I^?1, with 1.2 μA/mmol/cm² and 0.4 μA/mmol/cm², respectively. Except for some heavy metal ions, ascorbic acid and some oxidizable organic materials, common anions and cations don't interfere with the determination of phosphate.

The biosensor has been used to determine phosphate in some synthetic and real samples with a detection limit of 4 μmol I^?1 of phosphate. The results were compared with a standard spectrophotometric method. The accuracy and recovery of phosphate with the biosensor procedure are ±2% and 96 to 103%, respectively.

     

Surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on water-soluble ZnO-Au nanocomposites

A wavelength modulation surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on ZnO-Au nanocomposites for the detection of human IgM was developed. Self-assembly technique has the advantages of flexibility, simplicity and the precise control of film component and was applied to the building of the sensor. The ZnO-Au nanocomposites are in a dumbbell-like shape and can be immobilized on the Au film through 1,6-hexanedithiol by covalent attachment. Meanwhile the activated ZnO nanocrystals can be used to connect protein. The biosensor based on ZnO-Au nanocomposites was used to detect human IgM. Some experimental conditions were examined and optimized. In the selected conditions, the modified biosensor exhibits a satisfactory response for human IgM in the concentration range of 0.30-20.00 μg mL⁻¹. However, the biosensor without ZnO-Au nanocomposites shows a response for human IgM in the concentration range of 1.25-20.00 μg mL⁻¹. Compared with the biosensor based on Au film, when the biosensor based on the ZnO-Au nanocomposites was applied, the sensitivity for determination of human IgM is significantly enhanced.