Novel chemical synthesis of polypyrrole thin film electrodes for supercapacitor application

Present investigation describes the cost-effective, novel and simple chemical synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy) thin films for supercapacitor application. These PPy films are characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD pattern reveals the amorphous nature of PPy thin film, which is highly feasible for supercapacitors. Further, FTIR study confirms the formation of PPy. The surface morphological study exhibit the coverage of uniform and smooth morphology on thin film. The electrochemical supercapacitive properties of PPy thin films are evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte, which exhibits the maximum specific capacitance of 329 Fg⁻¹ at the scan rate of 5 mV s⁻¹. Additionally, an equivalent series resistance (ESR) of PPy thin films is found to be 1.08 Ω using electrochemical impedance measurement.     

Comparison of pyrimethanil-imprinted beads and bulk polymer as stationary phase by non-linear chromatography

A pyrimethanil-imprinted polymer (P1) was prepared by iniferter-mediated photografting a mixture of methacrylic acid and ethylene dimethacrylate onto homemade near-monodispersed chloromethylated polydivinylbenzene beads. The chromatographic behaviour of a column packed with these imprinted beads was compared with another column packed with irregular particles obtained by grinding a bulk pyrimethanil-imprinted polymer (P2). The comparison was made using the kinetic model of non-linear chromatography, studying the elution of the template and of two related substances, cyprodinil and mepanipyrim. Extension of the region of linearity, capacity factors for the template and the related substances, column selectivity, binding site heterogeneity, apparent affinity constant (K) and lumped kinetic association (k_a) and dissociation rate constant (k_d) were studied during a large interval of solute concentration, ranging between 1 and 2000 μg/ml. From the experimental results obtained, in the linearity region of solute concentration column selectivity and binding site heterogeneity remained essentially the same for the two columns, while column capacity (at 20 μg/ml, P1 = 23.1, P2 = 11.5), K (at 20 μg/ml, P1 = 8.3 × 10⁶ M⁻¹, P2 = 2.5 × 10⁶ M⁻¹) and k_a (at 20 μg/ml, P1 = 3.5 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹, P2 = 0.47 μM⁻¹ s⁻¹) significantly increased and k_d (at 20 μg/ml, P1 = 0.42 s⁻¹, P2 = 0.67 s⁻¹) decreased for the column packed with the imprinted beads. These results are consistent with an influence of the polymerisation method on the morphology of the resulting polymer and not on the molecular recognition properties due to the molecular imprinting process.     

Study of binding and denaturation dynamics of IgG and anti-IgG using dual color fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

In this article, we present a systematic study on IgG and Fab fragment of anti-IgG molecules using fluorescence auto- and cross-correlation spectroscopy to investigate their diffusion characteristics, binding kinetics, and the effect of small organic molecule, urea on their binding. Through our analysis, we found that the diffusion coefficient for IgG and Fab fragment of anti-IgG molecules were 37 ± 2 μm² s⁻¹ and 56 ± 2 μm² s⁻¹, respectively. From the binding kinetics study, the respective forward (k_a) and backward (k_d) reaction rates were (5.25 ± 0.25) × 10⁶ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 0.08 ± 0.005 s⁻¹, respectively and the corresponding dissociation binding constant (K_D) was 15 ± 2 nM. We also found that urea inhibits the binding of these molecules at 4 M concentration due to denaturation.     

Effect of an open tube in series with a packed capillary column on liquid chromatographic performance: The influence of particle diameter,temperature, and system pressure

A postcolumn reactor or a simple open tube connecting a capillary column to, for example, a mass spectrometer affects the performance of a capillary liquid chromatography system in two ways: stealing pressure from the column and adding band-spreading. This effect is especially intolerable in fast separations. Our calculations show that in the presence of a 25 μm radius postcolumn reactor, column (50 μm radius) efficiency (number of theoretical plates) is severely reduced by more than 75% with a t₀ of 10 s and a particle diameter from 1 to 5 μm for unretained solutes at room temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the reactor's effect and to improve the column efficiency by optimizing postcolumn conditions. We derived an equation that defines the observed number of theoretical plates (N_obs) taking into account the two effects stated above, which is a function of the maximum pressure P_m, the particle diameter d_p, the reactor radius a_r, the column radius a_c, the desired dead time t₀, the column temperature T and zone capacity factor k″. Poppe plots were obtained by calculations using this equation. The results show that for a t₀ shorter than 18 s, a P_m of 4000 psi, and a d_p of 1.7 μm, a 5 μm radius reactor has to be used. Such a small reactor is difficult to fabricate. Fortunately, high temperature helps to minimize the reactor effect so that reactors with manageable radius (larger than 12.5 μm) can be used in many practical conditions. Furthermore, solute retention diminishes the influence of a postcolumn reactor. Thus, a 12.5 μm reactor supersedes a 5 μm reactor for retained solutes even at a t₀ of 5 s (k″ > 3.8, or k′ > 2.0).     

A chitosan–polypyrrole magnetic nanocomposite as μ-sorbent for isolation of naproxen

An extracting medium based on chitosan–polypyrrole (CS–PPy) magnetic nanocomposite was synthesized by chemical polymerization of pyrrole at the presence of chitosan magnetic nanoparticles (CS-MNPs) for micro-solid phase extraction. In this work, magnetic nanoparticles, the modified CS-MNPs and different types of CS–PPy magnetic nanocomposites were synthesized. Extraction efficiency of the CS–PPy magnetic nanocomposite was compared with the CS-MNPs and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles for the determination of naproxen in aqueous samples, via quantification by spectrofluorimetry. The scanning electron microscopy images obtained from all the prepared nanocomposites revealed that the CS–PPy magnetic nanocomposite possess more porous structure. Among different synthesized magnetic nanocomposites, CS–PPy magnetic nanocomposite showed a prominent efficiency. Influencing parameters on the morphology of CS–PPy magnetic nanocomposite such as weight ratio of components was also assayed. In addition, effects of different parameters influencing the extraction efficiency of naproxen including desorption solvent, desorption time, amount of sorbent, ionic strength, sample pH and extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum condition, a linear calibration curve in the range of 0.04–10 μg mL⁻¹ (R² = 0.9996) was obtained. The limits of detection (3S_b) and limits of quantification (10S_b) of the method were 0.015 and 0.04 μg mL⁻¹ (n = 3), respectively. The relative standard deviation for water sample spiked with 0.1 μg mL⁻¹ of naproxen was 3% (n = 5) and the absolute recovery was 92%. The applicability of method was extended to the determination of naproxen in tap water, human urine and plasma samples. The relative recovery percentages for these samples were in the range of 56–99%.     

Application of solid-phase microextraction for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in textiles by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry

A method based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the determination of 18 organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in textiles is described. Commercially available SPME fibers, 100 μm PDMS and 85 μm PA, were compared and 85 μm PA exhibited better performance to the OPPs. Various parameters affecting SPME, including extraction and desorption time, extraction temperature, salinity and pH, were studied. The optimized conditions were: 35 min extraction at 25 °C, 5% NaSO₄ content, pH 7.0, and 3.5 min desorption in GC injector port at 250 °C. The linear ranges of the SPME-GC/MS method were 0.1-500 μg L⁻¹ for most of the OPPs. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.01 μg L⁻¹ (for bromophos-ethyl) to 55 μg L⁻¹ (for azinphos-methyl) and the RSDs were between 0.66% and 9.22%. The optimized method was then used to analyze 18 OPPs in textile sample, and the determined recoveries were ranged from 76.7% to 126.8%. Moreover, the distribution coefficients of the OPPs between 85 μm PA fiber and simulative sweat solution (K_pa/s) were determined. The determined K_pa/s of the OPPs correlated well with their octanol-water partition coefficients (r = 0.764 and 0.678) and water solubility (r = −0.892 and −0.863).     

Characterization of a confocal three-dimensional micro X-ray fluorescence facility based on polycapillary X-ray optics and Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors

A new confocal three-dimensional micro X-ray fluorescence (3D micro-XRF) facility based on polycapillary X-ray optics in the detection channel and Kirkpatrick–Baez (KB) mirrors in the excitation channel is designed. The lateral resolution (l_x, l_y) of this confocal three-dimensional micro-X-ray fluorescence facility is 76.3(l_x) and 53.4(l_y) µm respectively, and its depth resolution d_z is 77.1 μm at θ = 90°. A plant sample (twig of B. microphylla) and airborne particles are analyzed.     

Enthalpy change and mechanism of oxidation of o-phenylenediamine by hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase

The hydrogen peroxide-oxidation of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) at 37 °C in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) was studied by calorimetry. The apparent molar reaction enthalpy with respect to OPD and hydrogen peroxide were −447 ± 8 kJ mol⁻¹ and −298 ± 9 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Oxidation of OPD by H₂O₂ catalyzed by HRP (1.25 nM) at pH 7.0 and 37 °C follows a ping-pong mechanism. The maximum rate V_max (0.91 ± 0.05 μM s⁻¹), Michaelis constant for OPD K_m,S (51 ± 3 μM), Michaelis constant for hydrogen peroxide Km,H₂O₂ (136 ± 8 μM), the catalytic constant k_cat (364 ± 18 s⁻¹) and the second-order rate constants k₊₁ = (2.7 ± 0.3) × 10⁶ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and k₊₅ = (7.1 ± 0.8) × 10⁶ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ were obtained by the initial rate method.     

Enzyme assay for chitinase catalyzed hydrolysis of tetra-N-acetylchitotetraose by isothermal titration calorimetry

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has been used to observe the chitinase-catalyzed hydrolysis of tetra-N-acetylchitotetraose. Enzymatic hydrolysis of tetra-N-acetylchitotetraose by chitinase B from Serratia marcescens produces exclusively two molecules of di-N-acetylchitobiose allowing for the determination of a single glycosidic bond hydrolysis heat that was used to monitor the rate of the enzymatic reaction. The change in heat rate with respect to time (dQ/dt) was translated to the reaction rate, and the total heat produced was related to substrate concentration throughout the reaction. Reaction rates versus substrates concentration were fit to Michaelis-Menten plots, yielding a k_cat of 40.9 ± 0.5 s⁻¹ and a K_m of 54 ± 2 μM.     

Comparative study of LiMn2O4 thin film cathode grown at high, medium and low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition

LiMn₂O₄ thin films with different crystallizations were respectively grown at high, medium and low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Structures, morphologies and electrochemical properties of these three types of thin films were comparatively studied. Films grown at high temperature (?873 K) possessed flat and smooth surfaces and were highly crystallized with different textures and crystal sizes depending on the deposition pressure of oxygen. However, films deposited at low temperature (473 K) had rough surfaces with amorphous characteristics. At medium temperature (673 K), the film was found to consist mainly of nano-crystals less than 100 nm with relatively loose and rough surfaces, but very dense as observed from the cross-section. The film deposited at 873 K and 100 mTorr of oxygen showed an initial discharge capacity of 54.3 μAh/cm² μm and decayed at 0.28% per cycle, while the amorphous film had an initial discharge capacity of 20.2 μAh/cm² μm and a loss rate of 0.29% per cycle. Compared with the highly crystallized and the amorphous films, nano-crystalline film exhibited higher potential, more capacity and much better cycling stability. As high as 61 μAh/cm² μm of discharge capacity can be achieved with an average decaying rate of only 0.032% per cycle up to 500 cycles. The excellent performance of nano-crystalline film was correlated to its microstructures in the present study.     

Characterization of chromium-induced apoptosis in cultured mammalian cells:: A differential scanning calorimetry study

The present study examined the cytotoxic effect of increasing Cr(VI) concentrations on cultured cells by a combination of biochemical methods and DSC, a novel use of DSC in the study of cell death. The characteristics of apoptotic cells are compared with normal cells. Chromatin in human epithelial-like L-41 cells has two thermal transitions at 100 and 105 °C. The heat from these endotherms is 90.5 ± 11.0 J/g DNA. The total heat of denaturation (Q_d) is 27.5 ± 3.5 J/g dry biomass. The heat evolved (−Q) is 15.6 ± 3.0 J/g dry biomass. The treatment of cells with 20 μM Cr(VI) for 2 and 4 h has not revealed any changes in heat of denaturation and heat evolution (−Q). However increased treatment time with Cr(VI) at 20 μM resulted in significant changes to the thermal profile and a sharp linear decrease of (−Q) and Q_d values. The Q_d and (−Q) values of cells treated with 20 μM Cr(VI) for 48 h are equal to 15.5 ± 2.0 and 2.1 ± 0.4 J/g dry biomass, respectively. The changes in chromatin conformation, Bax expression and the collapse of the mitochondrial membrane permeability coincide with the time point from which the action of chromium is irreversible.     

Rapid and simultaneous analysis of dichlorvos, malathion, carbaryl, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid in citrus fruit by flow-injection ion spray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A simple method for the rapid and simultaneous analysis of dichlorvos (DDVP), malathion, carbaryl, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) in citrus fruit, which uses flow-injection ion spray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, has been developed for the first time. The method involves the combined use of stable isotopically labeled internal standards (DDVP-d₆, malathion-d₁₀, carbaryl-d₇, and 2,4-D-d₅) and a multiple reaction monitoring technique. The average recoveries for the pesticides at the same concentrations as their tolerance levels (DDVP: 0.1-0.2 μg g⁻¹; malathion: 0.5-4.0 μg g⁻¹; carbaryl: 1.0 μg g⁻¹; 2,4-D: 1.0-2.0 μg g⁻¹) ranged from 90 to 119% with the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) ranging from 1.0 to 13.1% (n = 5). Analysis time, including sample preparation and determination, was only 15 min. The present method is effective for screening DDVP, malathion, carbaryl, and 2,4-D in citrus fruit.     

Fabrication and characterization of Meldola's blue/zinc oxide hybrid electrodes for efficient detection of the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide at low potential

We report the synthesis and the electrochemical properties of hybrid films made of zinc oxide (ZnO) and Meldola's blue dye (MB) using cyclic voltammetry (CV). MB/ZnO hybrid films were electrochemically deposited onto glassy carbon, gold and indium tin oxide-coated glass (ITO) electrodes at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C) from the bath solution containing 0.1 M Zn(NO₃)₂, 0.1 M KNO₃ and 1 × 10⁻⁴ M MB. The surface morphology and deposition kinetics of MB/ZnO hybrid films were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) techniques, respectively. SEM and AFM images of MB/ZnO hybrid films have revealed that the surfaces are well crystallized, porous and micro structured. MB molecules were immobilized and strongly fixed in a transparent inorganic matrix. MB/ZnO hybrid films modified glassy carbon electrode (MB/ZnO/GC) showed one reversible redox couple centered at formal potential (E⁰′) −0.12 V (pH 6.9). The surface coverage (Γ) of the MB immobilized on ZnO/GC was about 9.86 × 10⁻¹² mol cm⁻² and the electron transfer rate constant (ks) was determined to be 38.9 s⁻¹. The MB/ZnO/GC electrode acted as a sensor and displayed an excellent specific electrocatalytic response to the oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). The linear response range between 50 and 300 μM NADH concentration at pH 6.9 was observed with a detection limit of 10 μM (S/N = 3). The electrode was stable during the time it was used for the full study (about 1 month) without a notable decrease in current. Indeed, dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), acetaminophen (AP) and uric acid (UA) did not show any interference during the detection of NADH at this modified electrode.     

High-resolution liquid chromatographic separations in 400 nm deep micro-machined silicon channels and fluorescence charge-coupled device camera detection under stopped-flow conditions

We report on a study exploring the possibilities of silicon etched, flat-rectangular nano-channels for the acceleration of liquid chromatography separations. Using the shear-forces originating from a moving channel part to propagate the mobile phase flow, a mixture of two neutral coumarin dyes could be separated in less than 50 ms and with a resolution of over N=10⁶ plates/m. The obtained experimental van Deemter-plot show a good agreement with the theoretical expectations and has a minimal plate height around H=1.0 μm (k=1.5) and H=0.6 μm (k=0.5). The different steps in the fabrication of the nano-channels, and the advantages of a novel detection scheme, based on fluorescent charge-coupled device-array imaging under stopped-flow conditions, are discussed as well.     

Dependence of calibration sensitivity of a polysulfone/Ru(II)-tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)-based oxygen optical sensor on its structural parameters

The optimum performance of an optical oxygen sensor based on polysulfone (PSF)/[Ru(II)-Tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)] octylsulfonate (Ru(dpp)OS) was checked by carefully tuning the parameters affecting the membrane preparation. In particular, membranes having thickness ranging between 0.2 and 8.0 μm with various luminophore concentrations were prepared by dip-coating and tested. The membrane thickness was controlled by tuning the solution viscosity, and was measured both by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and by visible spectroscopy (Vis). Luminescence-quenching-based calibration was a single value of the Stern-Volmer constant (K^′SV) for membranes containing up to 20 mmol Ru(dpp) g⁻¹ PSF (1.35 μm average thickness). The K^′SV value decreased for larger concentration. The highest sensitivity was obtained with membrane thickness around 1.6 μm, having a response time close to 1 s. Thicker membranes exhibited an emission saturation effect and were characterized by longer response time. The K^′SV behavior was interpreted on the basis of a mathematical approach accounting for the contribution of luminescence lifetime (τ₀), oxygen diffusion coefficient (DO₂) and oxygen solubility inside the membrane (sO₂) establishing the role of all of them and allowing their experimental determination. Moreover, a simple experimental way to estimate K^′SV without needing calibration was proposed. It was based either on the light emission asymmetry or on the percent variation of light emission on passing from pure nitrogen to pure oxygen.     

Synthesis and evaluation of new propazine-imprinted polymer formats for use as stationary phases in liquid chromatography

Silica particles have been used as supports for the preparation of three different propazine-imprinted polymer formats. First format refers to grafting of thin films of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) using an immobilised iniferter-type initiator (inif-MIP). The other two new formats were obtained by complete filling of the silica pores with the appropriate polymerisation mixture leading to a silica-MIP composite material (c-MIP) followed by the dissolution of the silica matrix resulting in spherical MIP beads (dis-MIP). These techniques offer a mean of fine-tuning the particle morphology of the resulting MIP particles leading to enhanced capacity in chromatographic applications. Porous silica (specific surface area S = 380 m² g⁻¹, particle size p_s = 10 μm, pore volume V_p = 1.083 ml g⁻¹ and pore diameter d_p = 10.5 nm), methacrylic acid and ethylenglycol dimethacrylate were used for the preparation of the materials. All the MIP formats imprinted with propazine have been characterised by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption and scanning electron microscopy. Further, the materials were assessed as stationary phases in HPLC. Capacity factors, imprinting factors and theoretical plate numbers were calculated for propazine and other related triazines in order to compare the chromatographic properties of the three different stationary phases. For the inif-MIPs the column efficiency depended strongly on the amount of grafted polymer. Thus, only the polymers grafted as thin films of ca. 1.3 nm average thickness show imprinting effects and the highest column efficiency giving plate numbers (N) of 1600 m⁻¹ for the imprinted propazine. The performance of the c-MIP stationary phase decreases as result of the complete pore filling after polymerisation and increases again after the removal of the silica matrix due to a better mass transfer in the porous mirror-image resulting polymer. From this study can be concluded that the inif-MIP shows the best efficiency for use as stationary phase in HPLC for the separation of triazinic herbicides.     

Fast gradient screening of pharmaceuticals with 5 cm long, narrow bore reversed-phase columns packed with sub-3 μm core-shell and sub-2 μm totally porous particles

The performance of 5 cm long narrow-bore columns packed with 2.6-2.7 μm core-shell particles and a column packed with 1.7 μm totally porous particles was compared in very fast gradient separations of polar neutral active pharmaceutical compounds. Peak capacities as a function of flow-rate and gradient time were measured. Peak capacities around 160-170 could be achieved within 25 min with these 5 cm long columns. The highest peak capacity was obtained with the Kinetex column however it was found that as the flow-rate increases, the peak capacity of the new Poroshell-120 column is getting closer to that obtained with the Kinetex column. Considering the column permeability, peak capacity per unit time and per unit pressure was also calculated. In this comparison the advantage of sub-3 μm core-shell particles is more significant compared to sub-2 μm totally porous particles. Moreover it was found that the very similar sized (d_p = 2.7 μm) and structured (ρ = 0.63) new Poroshell-120 and the earlier introduced Ascentis Express particles showed different efficiency. Results obtained showed that the 5 cm long narrow bore columns packed with sub-3 μm core-shell particles offer the chance of very fast and efficient gradient separations, thus these columns can be applied for fast screening measurements of routine pharmaceutical analysis such as cleaning validation.     

Fourth derivative spectrophotometric determination of fungicide thiram (tetramethyldithiocarbamate) using sodium molybdate and its application

A procedure has been developed for the direct fourth derivative spectrophotometric determination of tetramethyldithiocarbamate by converting it into its molybdenum complex, which is then extracted in to methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range 24 μg mL⁻¹ in the final solution. The analytical sensitivity is calculated to be 0.004(d⁴A/dλ⁴) μg⁻¹ mL⁻¹ from the slope of the calibration curve. The detection limit is 0.3 μg mL⁻¹ for thiram (signal to noise ratio = 2). Various parameters, such as effect of acid concentration, interference of a large number of ions in the determination of thiram have been studied in detail. The method is sensitive, highly selective and can be used for the determination of thiram in a commercial sample, in mixtures with various dithiocarbamates (zineb, maneb, etc.) and from wheat grains.     

Copper nanoparticles entrapped in SWCNT-PPy nanocomposite on Pt electrode as NOx electrochemical sensor

A highly sensitive NO_x sensor was designed and developed by electrochemical incorporation of copper nanoparticles (CuNP) on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT)-polypyrrole (PPy) nanocomposite modified Pt electrode. The modified electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Further, the electrochemical behavior of the CuNP-SWCNT-PPy-Pt electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. It exhibited the characteristic CuNP reversible redox peaks at −0.15 V and −0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl respectively. The electrocatalytic activity of the CuNP-SWCNT-PPy-Pt electrode towards NO_x is four-fold than the CuNP-PPy-Pt electrode. These results clearly revealed that the SWCNT-PPy nanocomposite facilitated the electron transfer from CuNP to Pt electrode and provided an electrochemical approach for the determination of NO_x. A linear dependence (r² = 0.9946) on the NO_x concentrations ranging from 0.7 to 2000 μM, with a sensitivity of 0.22 ± 0.002 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻² and detection limit of 0.7 μM was observed for the CuNP-SWCNT-PPy-Pt electrode. In addition, the sensor exhibited good reproducibility and retained stability over a period of one month.     

Monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the insecticide imidacloprid

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, 1-[(6-chloro-3-pyridinyl)methyl]-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine using monoclonal antibodies (MAb). Three MAbs, designated as E6A6, E6F3 and H7F7, were raised from mice immunized with an imidacloprid hapten-ovalbumin conjugate. These MAbs performed similarly in indirect competition ELISA (icELISA), so one, E6F3, was selected for detailed study. The equilibrium constants (K_d) and association and dissociation rate constants (k_on, k_off) for five neonicotinoids and one imidacloprid metabolite to E6F3 were determined by kinetic exclusion fluoroimmunoassay (KinExA). Affinities (1/K_d) of E6F3 for acetamiprid and clothianidin were similar, but 50-fold weaker than that of imidacloprid. MAb E6F3 had no measurable affinity for the other neonicotinoids. The icELISA can tolerate up to 15% (v/v) acetone or 20% (v/v) methanol. Assay sensitivity was similar at pH 4-9, 1-10-fold concentration of PBS with or without 0.05% Tween 20, and incubation times of 30-180 min. The half-maximal inhibition and the limit of detection were approximately 0.8 and 0.1 μg/l of imidacloprid in icELISA, and 0.3 and 0.03 μg/l in direct competition ELISA (dcELISA), respectively. Analysis of imidacloprid-fortified water and cucumber samples by the icELISA showed average recoveries from 70 to 120%.