Stereo-electrochemistry by a self-assembled monolayer of sulfur-bridged calixthiophene on gold

Sulfur-bridged calixthiophene formed a self-assembled mono-molecular layer on polycrystalline gold, and it regulated an electrochemical electron transfer by the host–guest interaction between the cavity and reactants. 1,7,13,19,25-Tetrathia[1.₅](2,5)thiophenophane (thiacalix[5]thiophene) perfectly passivated the gold electrode for relatively large reversible metal complexes: [Fe(CN)₆]^4−/3− and [IrCl₆]^3−/2−. However, for mono-atomic ions, such as silver and some of the halogen ions, the electrode behaved reversibly. For copper reduction, a large activation overpotential was observed to induce an initial copper reduction in the cavity.     

Guest recognition in a partially bridged deep cavitand

The synthesis of a new deep cavitand partially bridged via disulfide bonds is described. Its thermodynamic and kinetic complexation parameters are compared with those of an unbridged analogue. The disulfide bridges cause deviations in ΔH and ΔS but result in only small differences in ΔG of complexation. The bridges increase the activation barrier for guest dissociation and lead to complexes with enhanced kinetic stability.     

Enzymatic nanolithography of a self-assembled oligonucleotide monolayer on gold

This paper describes a simple strategy to biochemically manipulate a surface at the nanoscale by enzyme dip-pen nanolithography using an endonuclease (DNase I) that is directly patterned on a self-assembled monolayer presenting a terminal oligonucleotide. Physisorbed nanopatterns of DNase I carried out nanoscale enzymology at the surface creating oligonucleotide patterns with the fidelity of the patterned enzyme because of the affinity of the enzyme for the immobilized, oligonucleotide substrate.     

Two-dimensional crystal structure of a quaterthiophene-alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer on gold

We investigated the fine structure of a self-assembled monolayer of dodecanethiol functionalized by alpha-quaterthiophene on gold (alpha-4TC 12H 24SH). The molecular orientation, quantified using polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, was studied as a function of the adsorption time. The alpha-4T moieties arrange in the upright position on the surface as the adsorption time increases, while the alkyl chain organization remains poor. Here we quantify the orientation of the self-assembled monolayer and, more significantly, reveal through surface X-ray diffraction that after a long incubation period (12 h) the alpha-4T on the gold surface adopts a 2D crystal structure.     

Sensing capabilities of colloidal gold modified with a self-assembled monolayer of a glucose-carrying polymer chain on a glass substrate

A disulfide-carrying polymer with pendent glucose residues (poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl D-glucopyranoside)) was obtained by using a benzyl N,N-diethyldithiocarbamoyl derivative which shows the abilities of initiation, chain transfer, and termination (iniferter). The disulfide-carrying polymer was accumulated on a colloidal Au-immobilized glass substrate, and the usefulness of the polymer as a sensing element of concanavalin A (Con A) was examined by using a UV-visible spectrophotometer with the help of surface plasmon resonance. The sensor showed a concentration-dependent specific binding of Con A with a detection limit of 1.9 nM, and furthermore, it had a very high stability at high ionic strength. The polymer-coated device examined here was not only useful as a simple biosensor chip but is also expected to expand our knowledge of interfacial phenomena by introducing various functional polymers on colloidal Au.     

Direct application strategy to immobilise a thioctic acid self-assembled monolayer on a gold electrode

Immobilisation of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) onto an electrode surface is often achieved by immersing it in a solution for over 24 h. A biological or biologically derived recognition component can then be linked to the SAM in fabricating a biosensor. This time consuming immobilisation step can be a drawback in biosensor development, especially when repeated preparations of the biosensor are required. In this work, an alternative immobilisation strategy involving the direct application of a known quantity of the ethanolic solution of the alkanethiol, thioctic acid, on a gold electrode surface was studied. The solution was left to dry at room temperature for approximately 20 min. Comparable results including the relative percentage decrease in double layer capacitance, the surface coverage and the percentage of binding to the bacterial protein, Protein A, were obtained relative to those obtained with SAM formed by the immersion method. Shewhart’s statistical analysis technique was applied to examine the stability in terms of the relative percentage decrease in double layer capacitance. In these tests, within 99.7% confidence control limits, only a 1% deterioration was observed over a 3-month period. Therefore, all these results have demonstrated that the direct application method yields a stable thioctic acid SAM on a gold electrode surface with characteristics similar to those obtained with an immersion method. However, formation of a SAM using direct application can be achieved within a significantly shorter period of time compared to immersion method.     

Voltammetric investigation of cytochrome c on gold coated with a self-assembled glutathione monolayer

The direct, reversible electrochemistry of horse-heart cytochrome c (cyt. c) was realized on a self-assembled glutathione (GSH) monolayer modified Au electrode. The voltammetric responses of cyt. c on GSH/Au electrode were found to be affected by pH during the electrode modification, metal ions and surfactants. Using potassium ferricyanide [K4Fe(CN)6] as a probe, these effects on the voltammetric responses of cyt. c were characterized by electrochemical methods. It was found that the pH during the electrode modification, metallic ions and surfactants changed GSH monolayer's charge state and the conformation on the electrode surface, and resulted in the influence on the voltammetric responses of cyt. c. The experimental results provided us information to understand the mechanism of the interfacial electron transfer of electrode-protein, as well as the electron transfer of cyt. c in life system.     

Development of a myoglobin impedimetric immunosensor based on mixed self-assembled monolayer onto gold

Immunosensors rely on antibody-antigen binding with a range of possible detection methodologies. In this study, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to monitor the sensor surface assembly and recognition of the analyte (myoglobin). Myoglobin is rapidly released into the circulatory system after an acute myocardial infarction and rapidly rising levels make it the first biochemical marker of myocardial damage. The immunosensor fabrication steps comprised the steps of (a) formation of mixed self-assembled monolayers (mSAM) on gold electrodes using a mixture of biotinyl-phospholipid and mer captohexadecanoic acid; (b) neutravidin functionalisation and (c) attachment of biotinyl anti-myoglobin antibodies. A range of analyte concentration (10⁻¹²–10⁻⁶ M) was successfully detected in phosphate buffered saline and in serum concentration ranging from 10% (v/v) to 100% (v/v) serum. Quartz crystal microbalance and atomic force microscopy studies were carried out to study each step of fabrication to elucidate binding characteristics and surface topography. Correspondence: Morsaline Billah, Institute of Membrane and Systems Biology, Garstang Building, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom     

Formation process and solvent-dependent structure of a polyproline self-assembled monolayer on a gold surface

The formation process and structure of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of lipoic-acid-terminated polyproline on a gold surface in aqueous solution were investigated by several techniques. The amount of polyproline molecules on the gold surface was determined from the area of the reductive desorption peak, and orientation and thickness of the polyproline SAM were determined in situ by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy and ellipsometry. The kinetics of the polyproline SAM formation process were discussed on the basis of these results. The in situ IR study confirmed that the conformation of the polyproline SAM was changed by changing the solvent from water to methanol and methanol to water, as is the case for polyproline dissolved in solution.     

The nature of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer adsorption on sputtered gold substrates

A detailed study of the self-assembly and coverage by 1-nonanethiol of sputtered Au surfaces using molecular resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is presented. The monolayer self-assembles on a smooth Au surface composed predominantly of [111] oriented grains. The domains of the alkanethiol monolayer are observed with sizes typically of 5-25 nm, and multiple molecular domains can exist within one Au grain. STM imaging shows that the (4 x 2) superlattice structure is observed as a (3 x 2) structure when imaged under noncontact AFM conditions. The 1-nonanethiol molecules reside in the threefold hollow sites of the Au[111] lattice and aligned along its [112] lattice vectors. The self-assembled monolayer (SAM) contains many nonuniformities such as pinholes, domain boundaries, and monatomic depressions which are present in the Au surface prior to SAM adsorption. The detailed observations demonstrate limitations to the application of 1-nonanethiol as a resist in atomic nanolithography experiments to feature sizes of approximately 20 nm.     

多巴胺在DTNB自组装膜上的电催化研究

在金电极表面制备了DTNB(5,5′ Di thiobis(2 nitrobenzoicacid))自组装单分子层膜(DTNB/AuSAM)。多巴胺在DTNB自组装膜上有一对可逆性良好的氧化还原峰,其氧化峰电流与多巴胺的浓度在5.0×10-6mol/L～1.0×10-4mol/L的范围内呈线性关系,检出限为1.0×10-6mol/L。在pH3.5的缓冲溶液中,在DTNB自组装膜上多巴胺和抗坏血酸的电化学响应可以明显区分,氧化峰电位分离达276mV。可用于抗坏血酸存在下多巴胺的检测。测定了盐酸多巴胺注射液中多巴胺的含量,其平均回收率为104%。     

Electroanalysis of dopamine at a gold electrode modified with N-acetylcysteine self-assembled monolayer

Voltammetric behavior of dopamine (DA) on a gold electrode modified with the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of N-acetylcysteine has been investigated, and one pair of well-defined redox peaks of dopamine is obtained at the SAM modified gold electrode. The oxidation peak current increases linearly with the concentration of dopamine in the range of  mol l⁻¹. The detection limit is 8.0×10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹. This method will be applicable to the determination of dopamine in injection of dopamine hydrochloride, and the good recovery of dopamine is obtained. Furthermore, The SAM modified gold electrode can resolve well the voltammetric responses of dopamine and ascorbic acid (AA), so it can also be applied to the determination of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid.     

Mediating electron transfer from bacteria to a gold electrode via a self-assembled monolayer

Numerous bacterial genera are known to respire anaerobically using macroscopic electrodes as electron acceptors. Typically, inexpensive graphite electrodes, which are readily colonized, are used to monitor electrogenic bacterial metabolism for microbial fuel cell and bioelectronics studies. We compare current production by electrogenic bacteria on gold electrodes coated with various alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers to current production on glassy carbon electrodes. Current production is correlated to chain length and headgroup of the monolayer molecules as expected. Relative to graphite, the coated gold electrodes achieve more reproducible experimental conditions and certain headgroups enhance electronic coupling to the bacteria.     

Electrochemical determination of trypsin using a heptapeptide substrate self-assembled on a gold electrode

Microchimica Acta - A simple and sensitive electrochemical method was developed for the determination of trypsin by employing a specific heptapeptide (CRRRRRR) as a substrate. The positively...     

Electroanalytical performance of self-assembled monolayer gold electrode for chloramphenicol determination

Monolayers of 2-mercapto-5-methylbenzimidazole (MMB) were prepared on a polycrystalline gold electrode via a self-assembly process to produce a self-assembled monolayer. The resulting electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and applied to the determination of chloramphenicol (CAP) in a pharmaceutical formulation using flow injection analysis along with amperometric detection. The amperometric cell was operated at ?0.75 V (vs Ag/AgCl) at a flow rate of 3 mL min^?1. The method was applied to the determination of CAP in ophthalmic solutions, and its performance was compared to a previously validated HPLC method. The response to CAP is linear in the range from 0.050 to 1.000 µmol L^?1 (r?=?0.9990), and the limit of detection is 44 µmol L^?1.     

Elimination of aggregates of ferredoxin from its self-assembled monolayer on silicon substrate

The self-assembled ferredoxin monolayer onto the (100) surface of the silicon substrate was prepared and the nonspecifically adsorbed aggregates of ferredoxin on the substrate were successfully eliminated by using a zwitterionic surfactant, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS). The AFM image of the self-assembled ferredoxin monolayer on the silicon substrate treated with CHAPS clearly shows that the size of ferredoxin clusters is about 20–30 nm, which is on the order of an aggregate of about five ferredoxin molecules, whereas the size of ferredoxin aggregates on the substrate without CHAPS treatment was measured to be about 100–200 nm. Those results offer a useful method for the elimination of the nonspecific adsorption of proteins onto inorganic substrates, which has been a long-term problem in the fabrication of biomolecular electronic devices by the self-assembly technique.     

Functionalization of gold cysteamine self-assembled monolayer with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid as a novel nanosensor

Electrochemical characterization of gold cysteamine self-assembled monolayer, in situ functionalized with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Au-CA-EDTA SAM), is described by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Osteryoung square wave voltammetry (OSWV). The results obtained by EIS and CV, in the presence of [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− redox probe, show that EDTA is successfully grafted to the surface of Au-CA electrode. Reproducible and reversible variation of the R_ct and ΔEp as a function of solution pH show that Au-CA-EDTA SAM is stable in a wide range of pH and potentials. Accumulation of the Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions on the Au-CA-EDTA SAM electrode is investigated using faradaic currents or impedimetric effects measured by OSWV and EIS, respectively. These results reveal the presence of active complexing functional groups of EDTA on the surface, and thus, the formation of Au-CA-EDTA SAM electrode. The new sensor responds to the Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ separately and simultaneously in a wide linear range of concentrations.     

Micropatterning of copper on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate modified with a self-assembled monolayer

We have developed a technique for the site-selective electroless deposition of Cu on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate modified with an organic self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The PET substrate was first modified with a silica-like layer by being dip-coated in an acetone solution of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and treated with UV light. The PET substrate was further modified with thiol groups using a 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane-SAM and then irradiated by UV light through a photomask to prepare thiol-group regions and OH-group regions. Cu was then deposited on only the thiol-group regions of the substrate by electroless deposition in a neutral solution with no catalysts by using dimethylamineborane as a reducing reagent. This site-selective deposition process can control the deposition conditions by an organic thin film fabricated on a surface-modified PET substrate, and thus can be applied to other low heat-resistant substrates.