Tyrosine sensing on phthalic anhydride functionalized chitosan and carbon nanotube film coated glassy carbon electrode

Phthaloylchitosan (PHCS) has been synthesized by a simple and low-cost method using chitosan and phthalic anhydride as organic precursors by microwave irradiation. Techniques of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), FT-IR spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to characterize the structure and properties of the Phthaloylchitosan. Moreover, glassy carbon electrode modified with Phthaloylchitosan and carbon nanotube (PHCS–CNT/GCE) was prepared by casting of the PHCS–CNT solution on GCE. The electrochemical behavior of PHCS–CNT/GCE was investigated and compared with the electrochemical behavior of Phthaloylchitosan modified GC (PHCS/GC), carbon nanotube modified GC (CNT/GC) and unmodified GC using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The Phthaloylchitosan film is electrochemically inactive; similar background charging currents are observed at bare GC. Electrochemical parameters, including apparent diffusion coefficient for the Fe(CN)₆^3-/4- redox probe at PHCS–CNT/GCE is comparable to values reported for GCE, CNT/GCE and PHCS/GCE. The PHCS–CNT/GCE sensor responded linearly to tyrosine (Tyr) in the concentration of 1.0 × 10^–6 to 8.0 × 10^–4 M with detection limit of 3.0 × 10^–7 M at 3σ using amperometry. In addition, the PHCS–CNT/GCE displayed good reproducibility, high sensitivity and good selectivity towards the determination of Tyr, making it suitable for the determination of Tyr in clinical and medicine.     

High loading LiFePO<Subscript>4</Subscript> on activated carbon fiber cloth as a high capacity cathode for Li-ion battery

The LiFePO₄/carbon fiber (LFP/CF) cathodes were prepared by using activated carbon fiber cloth as current collector in place of conventional Al foil. The electrochemical properties of LFP/CF electrodes were analyzed by the cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The results indicate that the activated carbon fiber cloth with high specific surface area and high porosity makes the LFP/CF electrode that possesses higher mass loading of 18–21 mg cm^–2 and stronger redox reaction ability compared with Al foil-based electrode. The LFP/CF electrode shows excellent rate performance and cycle stability. At 0.1C, the discharge capacity is up to 190.1 mAh g^–1 that exceeds the theoretical capacity due to the combination effect of battery and capacitor. Furthermore, the LFP/CF electrode shows an initial capacity of 150.4 mAh g^–1 at 1C with a capacity retention of 74.7% after 425 cycles, which is higher than 62.4% for LFP/Al foil electrode, and an initial discharge capacity of 130 mAh g^–1 at 5C with a capacity retention of 61.5% after 370 cycles. But this composite electrode is not suitable for charging/discharging at higher rate as 10C due to too much mass loading.     

单分散PtNi纳米粒子特殊的红外光学性能

采用电位置换反应以及化学还原法制备了单分散PtNi 纳米粒子,循环伏安结果显示该纳米粒子在0.1mol·L^-1硫酸介质中对CO的氧化表现出比本体Pt 电极更好的电催化活性. 以CO为探针分子,采用电化学原位红外光谱研究了PtNi 纳米粒子上的特殊红外光学性能. 结果表明,PtNi 纳米粒子无论是在玻碳电极还是在金电极上,均表现出对称的双极谱峰,同时给出很强的增强效应. 论文研究结果有助于进一步了解低维纳米材料特殊红外性能的本质.     

Fabrication of Chitosan‐Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposite Containing Ferri/Ferrocyanide: Application for Simultaneous Detection of D‐Penicillamine and Tryptophan

We report a simple and effective strategy for fabrication of the nanocomposite containing chitosan (CS) and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) coated on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The characterization of the modified electrode (CS‐MWNT/GC) was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The electrochemical behavior of CS‐MWNT/GC electrode was investigated and compared with the electrochemical behavior of chitosan modified GC (CS/GC), multiwalled carbon nanotube modified GC (MWNT/GC) and unmodified GC using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electron impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The chitosan films are electrochemically inactive; similar background charging currents are observed at bare GC. The chitosan films are permeable to anionic Fe(CN)₆^3?/4? (FC) redox couple. Electrochemical parameters, including apparent diffusion coefficient for the Fe(CN)₆^3?/4? redox probe at FC/CS‐MWNT/GC electrode is comparable to values reported for cast chitosan films. This modified electrode also showed electrocatalytic effect for the simultaneous determination of D‐penicillamine (D‐PA) and tryptophan (Trp). The detection limit of 0.9 μM and 4.0 μM for D‐PA and Trp, respectively, makes this nanocomposite very suitable for determination of them with good sensitivity.     

Effects of carbon nanofiber composites on electrode processes involving liquid|liquid ion transfer

Composite electrodes were prepared from chemical vapor deposition grown carbon nanofibers consisting predominantly of ca. 100 nm diameter fibers. A hydrophobic sol–gel matrix based on a methyl-trimethoxysilane precursor was employed and composites formed with carbon nanofiber or carbon nanofiber—carbon particle mixtures (carbon ceramic electrode). Scanning electron microscopy images and electrochemical measurements show that the composite materials exhibit high surface area with some degree of electrolyte solution penetration into the electrode. These electrodes were modified with redox probe solution in 2-nitrophenyloctylether. A second type of composite electrode was prepared by simple pasting of carbon nanofibers and the same solution (carbon paste electrode). For both types of electrodes it is shown that high surface area carbon nanofibers dominate the electrode process and enhance voltammetric currents for the transfer of anions at liquid|liquid phase boundaries presumably by extending the triple-phase boundary. Both anion insertion and cation expulsion processes were observed driven by the electro-oxidation of decamethylferrocene within the organic phase. A stronger current response is observed for the more hydrophobic anions like ClO₄⁻ or PF₆⁻ when compared to that for the more hydrophilic anions like F⁻ and SO₄²⁻. Presented at the 4th Baltic Conference on Electrochemistry, Greifswald, March 13–16, 2005     

Preparation and characterization on the carbon nanotube chemically modified electrode grown in situ

Carbon nanotube chemically modified electrode (CNT-CME) was prepared by growing carbon nanotube (CNT) in situ on the pretreated graphite electrode (GE) via the catalytic chemical vapor deposition. The pretreated GE was prepared by ultrasonic immersion method using Ni(NO₃)₂ as the catalyst. The CNT growing on the CNT-CME was characterized by transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope. The obtained electrode electrochemical performance was characterized by cyclic voltammetry with the Na₂SO₄ solution and [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻/[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ solution. The results showed that the obtained electrode has good current responsive sensitivity and good testing result accuracy, indicating that the obtained electrode may have great application in electrochemical testing field.     

Treated carbon felt as electrode material in vanadium redox flow batteries: a study of the use of carbon nanotubes as electrocatalyst

Electrodes for large-scale usage in vanadium redox flow battery are usually fabricated without any electrocatalyst due to the lack of good, viable options. The best performance is achieved of carbon-based materials. Recently, some researchers have been reported regarding the use of carbon nanotube as the electrocatalyst in the vanadium redox flow batteries. However, these researches have been carried out without making any comparison between the performance of the traditional method and the carbon nanotube electrocatalyst. In the present study, the loading of multi-walled carbon nanotube, the acid–heat treatment, and their combination were used to modify the carbon felt electrode to be applied in the vanadium redox flow battery. The obtained results showed better electrochemical properties for acid–heat-treated carbon felt electrode compared to the carbon nanotube-loaded one. The best electrode was obtained for using in a vanadium redox flow battery in terms of electrochemical and surface properties after applying a combination of two modification strategies. Applying this proposed method in modification of the carbon felt electrode increased its hydrophilicity more than 17 times and its capability to absorb VOSO₄ solution more than eight times. Also, the charge transfer resistance of a modified electrode, by the combination of the carbon nanotube and the acid–heat treatment, significantly decreased in both positive and negative poles of vanadium redox flow battery. Consequently, the exchange current density enhanced more than 100- and 175-fold in positive and negative poles, respectively, in comparison with carbon felt electrode.     

Facile low-temperature polyol process for LiFePO4 nanoplate and carbon nanotube composite

Crystalline LiFePO₄ nanoplates were incorporated with 5 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via a facile low temperature polyol process, in one single step without any post heat treatment. The CNTs were embedded into the LiFePO₄ particles to form a network to enhance the electrochemical performance of LiFePO₄ electrode for lithium-ion battery applications. The structural and morphological characters of the LiFePO₄–CNT composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and charge/discharge tests. Primary results showed that well crystallized olivine-type structure without any impurity phases was developed, and the LiFePO₄–CNT composites exhibited good electrochemical performance, with a reversible specific capacity of 155 mAh g⁻¹ at the current rate of 10 mA g⁻¹, and a capacity retention ratio close to 100% after 100 cycles.     

Immobilization and hybridization of DNA based on magnesium ion modified 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid polymer and its application for label-free PAT gene fragment detection by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

A new approach for a simple electrochemical detection of PAT gene fragment is described. Poly(2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid) (PDC) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was prepared by potential scan electropolymerization in an aqueous solution. Mg2 ions were incorporated by immer-sion of the modified electrode in 0.5 mol/L aqueous solution of MgCl2 to complete the preparation of a generic "activated" electrode ready for binding the probe DNA. The ssDNA was linked to the conduct-ing polymer by forming a bidentate complex between the carboxyl groups on the polymer and the phosphate groups of DNA via Mg2 . DNA immobilization and hybridization were characterized with dif-ferential pulse voltammetry (DPV) by using methylene blue (MB) as indicator and electrochemical im-pedance spectroscopy (EIS). The EIS was of higher sensitivity for DNA detection as compared with voltammetric methods in our strategy. The electron transfer resistance (Ret) of the electrode surface in EIS in [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- solution increased after the immobilization of the DNA probe on the Mg/PDC/GCE electrode. The hybridization of the DNA probe with complementary DNA (cDNA) made Ret increase further. The difference between the Ret at ssDNA/Mg/PDC/GCE and that at hybridization DNA modified electrode (dsDNA/Mg/PDC/GCE) was applied to determine the specific sequence related to the target PAT gene with the dynamic range comprised between 1.0 × 10-9 and 1.0 × 10_5 mol/L. A detection limit of 3.4 × 10-10 mol/L of oligonucleotides can be estimated.     

Sensitive electrochemical DNA-based biosensors for the determination of Ag<Superscript>+</Superscript> and Hg<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions and their application in analysis of amalgam filling

In the present paper, we used single-stranded poly-T (100% thymine bases) and poly-C (100% cytosine bases) nucleic acids as DNA probes for selective and sensitive individual electrochemical determination of Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺_, respectively, on the multi-walled carbon nanotube paste electrodes (MWCNTPEs) using [Fe(CN)₆]^3?/4? as electroactive labels. In the presence of Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺, the probe–Hg²⁺/Ag⁺ interactions through T–Hg²⁺–T and C–Ag⁺–C complexes formation could cause the formation of a unimolecular hybridized probe. This structure of probe led to its partial depletion from electrode surface and facilitation of electron transfer between [Fe(CN)₆]^3?/4? redox couple and electrode surface, resulting in the enhanced differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) oxidation current of [Fe(CN)₆]^3?/4? at the probe-modified electrode surface. We applied the difference in the oxidation peak currents of [Fe(CN)₆]^3?/4? before and after Hg²⁺/Ag⁺–DNA probe bonding (?I) for electrochemical determination of these heavy metal ions. Detection limits were 8.0?×?10^?12 M and 1.0?×?10^?11 M for Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ ions determination, respectively. The biosensors were utilized to determine the weight percent of toxic metals, i.e., silver and mercury in dental amalgam filling composition. The results of their practical applicability in analysis of the amalgam sample were satisfactory.     

Electrochemical and impedance spectroscopy studies of various diazonium salts on a glassy carbon electrode

Abstract  

The derivatization of a glassy carbon electrode surface was achieved with and without electrochemical reduction of various diazonium salts in acetonitrile solutions. The surfaces were characterized, before and after their attachment, by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to evidence the formation of a coating on the carbon surface. The results were indicative of the presence of substituted phenyl groups on the investigated surface. Also, the effects of diazonium thin films at the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, modification time, and salt concentration on their electrochemical responses in the presence of the Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− probe were investigated. Electrochemical impedance measurements indicated that the kinetics of electron transfer is slowed down when the time and the concentration used to modify the glassy carbon electrode are increased. We therefore modified a glassy carbon surface via its derivatization with and without electrochemical reduction of various diazonium salts in acetonitrile solution.     

Temperature-Responsive Electrocatalysis Based on Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide)-Modified Graphene Oxide (PNIPAm-GO)

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-modified graphene oxide (PNIPAm-GO), which is a type of thermally responsive GO, was designed and synthesized through a covalent “grafting-from” strategy. The as-prepared modified nanosheets integrated the individual advantages of two components, such as the thermal sensitivity of the PNIPAm terminal as well as the conductivity and the open 2D structure of the GO substrate. PNIPAm-GO was able to perform the reversible regulation of hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity in aqueous solution upon variations in the temperature. Such a unique property might also lead to the utilization of PNIPAm-GO as an intelligent electrode material to achieve a switchable electrochemical response toward a [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− probe. The PNIPAm-GO modified glassy carbon electrode (PNIPAm-GO/GC electrode) was able to exhibit better electrochemical performance in an ON/OFF switching effect than the PNIPAm-modified glassy carbon electrode (PNIPAm/GC electrode) without GO owing to the intrinsic properties and large surface area of the introduced GO. Moreover, it was found that the PNIPAm-GO/GC electrode also displayed excellent thermally responsive electrocatalysis toward the detection of 1,4-dihydro-β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and dopamine (DA), which resulted in two different catalytic statuses on the same electrode. This kind of switchable catalytic performance of the PNIPAm-GO/GC electrode might greatly enhance the flexibility of its application, and thus it is expected to have wide potential for applications in the fields of biosensors and biocatalysis.     

Electrochemical investigation of a novel metalloporphyrin intercalated layered niobate modified electrode and its electrocatalysis on ascorbic acid

Cationic iron (III) tetrakis-5, 10, 15, 20-(N-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphyrin (Fe^IIITMPyP) was intercalated into layered semiconductor KNb₃O₈ by ion-exchange method. The target product was characterized by XRD, Fourier transform infrared, UV–vis, and TGA. Fe^IIITMPyP forms an inclined monolayer between Nb₃O₈ ^? nanosheets and endues the nanocomposite with excellent electrochemical catalytic activities. The target nanocomposite modified glass carbon electrode shows good electrocatalytic activities for the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA); the catalytic mechanism was proposed. Differential pulse voltammetric technique was used for detection of AA in neutral aqueous solution; a detection limit of 4.2?×?10^?5 M was obtained, and the modified electrode showed good reproducibility in electrochemical detection.     

Electroless Deposition of Thionin onto Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Single Wall and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes: Improvement of the Electrochemical Reversibility and Stability

A simple procedure was developed to prepare a glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and thionin. Abrasive immobilization of CNTs on a GC electrode was achieved by gently rubbing the electrode surface on a filter paper supporting carbon nanotubes, then immersing the GC/CNTs‐modified electrode into a thionin solution (electroless deposition) for a short period of time (5–50 s for MWCNTs and 5–120 s for SWCNTs ). Cyclic voltammograms of the resulting modified electrode show stable and a well defined redox couple with surface confined characteristic at wide pH range 2–12. The electrochemical reversibility and stability of modified electrode prepared with incorporation of thionin into CNTs film was compared with usual methods for attachment of thionin to electrode surfaces such as electropolymerization and adsorption on the surface of preanodized electrodes. The formal potential of redox couple (E°′) shifts linearly toward the negative direction with increasing solution pH. The surface coverage of thionin immobilized on CNTs glassy carbon electrode was approximately 1.95×10^?10 mol cm^?2 and 3.2×10^?10 mol cm^?2 for MWCNTs and SWCNTs, respectively. The transfer coefficient (α) was calculated to be 0.3 and 0.35 and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants (K_s) were 65 s^?1 and 55 s^?1 for MWCNTs/thionin and SWCNTs/thionin‐modified GC electrodes, respectively. The results clearly show a great facilitation of the electron transfer between thionin and CNTs adsorbed on the electrode surface. Excellent electrochemical reversibility of redox couple, high stability, technically simple and possibility of preparation at short period of time are of great advantages of this procedure for modification of electrodes.     

A Voltammetric Sensor Based on Spinel-Structured Copper Ferrite Nanoparticles Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for Determination of Dacarbazine

A simple and sensitive method was used to develop a novel sensor for determination of dacarbazine on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles modified carbon paste electrode (MWCNTs/CuFe₂O₄/CPE). Cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate the electrochemical behavior of dacarbazine at the chemically modified electrode. According to the results, MWCNTs/CuFe₂O₄/CPE showed high electrocatalytic activity for dacarbazine oxidation, producing a sharp oxidation peak current at about +0.80 vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode at pH 5.0. The peak current was linearly dependent on dacarbazine concentration over the range of 0.10–76.0 μmol L^–1 with the detection limit (3σ) of 0.08 μmol L^?1. In addition, chronoamperometry was also used to determine diffusion coefficient of dacarbazine at MWCNTs/CuFe₂O₄/CPE.     

Fabrication and Electrochemical Behavior of Hemoglobin Modified Carbon Ionic Liquid Electrode

A new hemoglobin (Hb) and room temperature ionic liquid modified carbon paste electrode was constructed by mixing Hb with 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF₆) and graphite powder together. The Hb modified carbon ionic liquid electrode (Hb‐CILE) was further characterized by FT‐IR spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Hb in the carbon ionic liquid electrode remained its natural structure and showed good direct electrochemical behaviors. A pair of well‐defined quasireversible redox peaks appeared with the apparent standard potential (E′) as ?0.334 (vs. SCE) in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The electrochemical parameters such as the electron transfer number (n), the electron transfer coefficient (α) and the heterogeneous electron transfer kinetic constant (k_s) of the electrode reaction were calculated with the results as 1.2, 0.465 and 0.434 s^?1, respectively. The fabricated Hb‐CILE exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity to the reduction of H₂O₂. The calibration range for H₂O₂ quantitation was between 8.0×10^?6 mol/L and 2.8×10^?4 mol/L with the linear regression equation as I_ss (μA)=0.12 C (μmol/L)+0.73 (n=18, γ=0.997) and the detection limit as 1.0×10^?6 mol/L (3σ). The apparent Michaelis–Menten constant (K_M^app) of Hb in the modified electrode was estimated to be 1.103 mmol/L. The surface of this electrochemical sensor can be renewed by a simple polishing step and showed good reproducibility.     

Cerium/Ascorbic Acid/Iodine Active Species for Redox Flow Energy Storage Battery

In this study, we developed a novel cerium/ascorbic acid/iodine active species to design a redox flow battery (RFB), in which the cerium nitrate hexahydrate [Ce(NO₃)₃·6H₂O] was used as a positive Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ ion pair, and the potassium iodate (KIO₃) containing ascorbic acid was used as a negative I₂/I⁻ ion pair. In order to improve the electrochemical activity and to avoid cross-contamination of the redox pair ions, the electroless plating and sol–gel method were applied to modify the carbon paper electrode and the Nafion 117 membrane. The electrocatalytic and electrochemical properties of the composite electrode using methanesulfonic acid as a supporting electrolyte were assessed using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) test. The results showed that the Ce (III)/Ce (IV) active species presented a symmetric oxidation/reduction current ratio (1.09) on the C–TiO₂–PdO composite electrode. Adding a constant amount of ascorbic acid to the iodine solution led to a good reversible oxidation/reduction reaction. Therefore, a novel Ce/ascorbic acid/I RFB was developed with C–TiO₂–PdO composite electrodes and modified Nafion 117–SiO₂–SO₃H membrane using the staggered-type flow channel, of which the energy efficiency (EE%) can reach about 72%. The Ce/ascorbic acid/I active species can greatly reduce the electrolyte cost compared to the all-vanadium redox flow battery system, and it therefore has greater development potential.     

Layered LiNi<Subscript>0.80</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>Al<Subscript>0.05</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> as cathode material for hybrid Li<Superscript>+</Superscript>/Na<Superscript>+</Superscript> batteries

LiNi_0.80Co_0.15Al_0.05O₂ (NCA) is explored to be applied in a hybrid Li⁺/Na⁺ battery for the first time. The cell is constructed with NCA as the positive electrode, sodium metal as the negative electrode, and 1 M NaClO₄ solution as the electrolyte. It is found that during electrochemical cycling both Na⁺ and Li⁺ ions are reversibly intercalated into/de-intercalated from NCA crystal lattice. The detailed electrochemical process is systematically investigated by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, ex situ X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The NCA cathode can deliver initially a high capacity up to 174 mAh g^?1 and 95% coulombic efficiency under 0.1 C (1 C?=?120 mA g^?1) current rate between 1.5–4.1 V. It also shows excellent rate capability that reaches 92 mAh g^?1 at 10 C. Furthermore, this hybrid battery displays superior long-term cycle life with a capacity retention of 81% after 300 cycles in the voltage range from 2.0 to 4.0 V, offering a promising application in energy storage.     

An electrochemical immunosensor based on agarose hydrogel films for rapid determination of ractopamine

A novel label-free electrochemical immunosensor for rapid determination of ractopamine was constructed by incorporating ractopamine–bovine thyroglobulin antigen in agarose hydrogel films modified on a glassy carbon electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were employed to investigate the electrochemical character of the immunosensor during different modified stages using a redox probe system of K₃Fe(CN)₆/K₄Fe(CN)₆. In the presence of polyclonal antibody against ractopamine, K₃[Fe(CN)₆] electron transfer is inhibited, presumably due to that antibody in solution could adsorb on the electrode surface modified antigen. A competitive immunoreaction system was applied to determinate the free ractopamine in phosphate buffer solution. The selected polyclonal antibody showed very high sensitivity and specificity for ractopamine, and was used for the detection and quantitative determination of trace amounts of ractopamine in spiked animal feeds.     

Copper hexacyanoferrate multilayer films on glassy carbon electrode modified with 4-aminobenzoic acid in aqueous solution

4-Aminobenzoic acid (4-ABA) was covalently grafted on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by amine cation radical formation during the electrooxidation process in 0.1 M KCl aqueous solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement proves the presence of 4-carboxylphenylamine on the GCE. Electron transfer processes of Fe(CN)₆³⁻ in solutions of various pHs at the modified electrode are studied by both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Changing the solution pH would result in the variation of the terminal group's charge state, based on which the surface pK_a values were estimated. The copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) multilayer films were formed on 4-ABA/GCE prepared in aqueous solution, and which exhibit good electrochemical behavior with high stability.