Electrochemical deposition of indium: nucleation mode and diffusional limitation

the electrochemical deposition of indium metal from InCl₃ solutions was investigated. Cyclovoltammetric experiments showed that the initial hydrogen evolution reaction, observed together with the metal deposition on Pt surface, is blocked when the surface is covered by In. At large cathodic potentials, the current is diffusion-limited. The scan rate dependence of cyclovoltammograms allowed the determination of the diffusion coefficient of In³⁺ ions, 8.18 × 10^–6 cm²/s, using the Delahay equation. The activation energy of diffusion, determined from the temperature dependence of cyclovoltammograms, is about 0.3 eV (23 kJ/mol). Chrono-amperometric experiments are consistent with the cyclovoltammetry; the In³⁺ diffusion coefficient determined using the Cottrell law is in good agreement with the value determined by the Randles-?ev?ik equation. Moreover the use of the nucleation models developed by Scharifker and Hills showed a progressive nucleation mode. Electron microscopy observations and X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the formation of crystalline indium deposits.     

超微电极上聚苯胺的电化学性质研究

本文探讨了盐酸介质中，聚苯胺在超微电极上的伏安性质，峰电流（ｉｐ）ａ与聚合电量、扫描速率等关系，在Ｑｐ较小时，具有薄膜电极特性，Ｑｐ很大时峰电流受扩散控制。     

Direct electrochemistry of myoglobin in a layer-by-layer film on an ionic liquid modified electrode containing CeO2 nanoparticles and hyaluronic acid

We describe an ionic liquid modified electrode (CPE-IL) for sensing hydrogen peroxide (HP) that was modified by the layer-by-layer technique with myoglobin (Mb). In addition, the surface of the electrode was modified with CeO₂ nanoparticles (nano-CeO₂) and hyaluronic acid. UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed that Mb retains its native structure in the composite film. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the nano-CeO₂ closely interact with Mb to form an inhomogeneously distributed film. Cyclic voltammetry reveals a pair of quasi-reversible redox peaks of Mb, with the cathodic peak at ?0.357?V and the anodic peak at ?0.269?V. The peak separation (??E _p) and the formal potential (E ^0??) are 88?mV and ?0.313?V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively. The Mb immobilized in the modified electrode displays an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards HP in the 0.6 to 78.0???M concentration range. The limit of detection is 50?nM (S/N?=?3), and then the Michaelis-Menten constant is 71.8???M. We believe that such a composite film has potential to further investigate other redox proteins and in the fabrication of third-generation biosensors.

Amperometric determination of nitric oxide at a carbon nanotube modified electrode with redox polymer coating

A novel chemically modified electrode based on an osmium complex-containing redox polymer film coated on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) has been described for the determination of nitric oxide. The results showed that the oxidation current increased significantly at the SWNT/redox polymer coated GCE, as compared to that observed on a bare GCE- and SWNT-modified GCE. Amperometric measurement was carried out at the potential of +0.80?V (vs. Ag|AgCl) and the current response to NO was found to be directly proportional to its concentration in the range from 2.0?×??0^?? to 4.0?×??0^?? M, and the detection limit was estimated to be 5.0?×??0^?? M.     

Cyclic voltammetry at microstructured electrodes

We present the theoretical treatment of cyclic voltammograms at microstructured electrodes. Calculations of voltammograms permit the determination of electrochemical parameters of redox systems in a single cell in parallel with the determinations of the spectroscopic parameters. The structural parameters of the electrode can be determined using the theoretical treatment presented if the electrochemical parameters of the redox system are known. Furthermore, lithographic-galvanic (LIGA) structures can be used as a model for microporous electrodes. Regression analysis was used to compare experimental and calculated cyclic voltammograms as well as to determine the electrochemical and spectroscopic parameters. A modified Randles-Sevčik equation has been derived to described the peak current dependence of cyclic voltammograms at micro-structured electrodes for both reversible and quasi-reversible charge transfer.     

NMR investigation of the porosity of hypercrosslinked polystyrene and the properties of water confined in its nanopores

The melting of water frozen preliminarily at 180 K in a free internal volume of water-swollen hypercrosslinked polystyrene networks with degrees of crosslinking ranging from 43 to 500% is studied by NMR. It is found that ice melts within a narrow range of low temperatures, 195?C225 K, demonstrating that the pores in the networks are small and uniform in size. It is, however, impossible to calculate the pore size via the Gibbs-Thomson equation, since the structure of water (and hence its properties) depend on a sample??s rate of freezing. We conclude that the activation of the orientational motions of water molecules starts to manifest itself already at 200 K; upon reaching 220?C230 K, the total mobility of water molecules is due largely to translational motions with an activation energy of 27?C28 kJ/mol.     

Simultaneous determination of levodopa and carbidopa by a novel nanostructure modified carbon paste electrode

The electrochemical behavior of levodopa (LD) was investigated on the surface of a carbon paste electrode modified with TiO₂ nanoparticles and 2,2??-(1,2 butanediylbis(nitriloethylidyne))-bis-hydroquinone (BNH). The prepared modified electrode showed an efficient catalytic role in the electrochemical oxidation of LD, leading to a remarkable decrease in oxidation overpotential and enhancement of the kinetics of the electrode reaction. The mechanism of the electrocatalytic process on the surface of the modified electrode was analyzed by obtaining the cyclic voltammograms in various potential sweep rates. This modified electrode exhibited well-separated oxidation peaks for LD and carbidopa (CD). The differential pulse voltammetry was applied as a very sensitive analytical method for the determination of LD and CD. A linear dynamic range of 2.0?C600.0 and 20.0?C400.0???M with a detection limit of 0.2???M (with sensitivity of 0.199 ??A ??M^?1) and 10???M (with sensitivity of 0.024???A???M^?1) was obtained for LD and CD, respectively. The modified electrode was prepared quite easily and renewed on the surface by simple polishing.     

Adsorption and desorption kinetics of benzene derivatives on mesoporous carbons

Adsorption and desorption of benzoic and salicylic acids and phenol from a series of synthesized mesoporous carbons is measured and analyzed. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms are best described by the Langmuir–Freundlich isotherm. Intraparticle diffusion and McKay’s pore diffusion models, as well as mixed 1,2-order (MOE), integrated Langmuir kinetic equation (IKL), Langmuir–Freundlich kinetic equation and recently derived fractal-like MOE (f-MOE) and IKL models were compared and used to analyze adsorption kinetic data. New generalization of Langmuir kinetics (gIKL), MOE and f-MOE were used to describe desorption kinetics. Analysis of adsorption and desorption half-times shows simple relation to the size of carbon pores.     

Calculation of effective diffusion coefficient in a colloidal crystal by the finite-element method

The work is devoted to the calculation of effective diffusion coefficient of ions from the bulk solution to the electrode through a mask and the calculation of the distribution of the limiting current density over the electrode surface. A colloidal crystal, which is formed by orderly arranged monodispersed spherical particles, serves as a mask. It is shown that the diffusion of electroactive ions in the pores between spherical particles can be simulated by unit cells with rhombic, rectangular, or triangular cross-section. In the latter case, the cell side surface has no periodical boundaries. This simplifies significantly the numerical solution of the Laplace??s equation by the finite-element method. The effective diffusion coefficient in the bulk colloidal crystal is calculated at various values of its porosity. The calculated results agree well with the literature data. It is found that, for close-packed spherical particles, the relative effective diffusion coefficient in the bulk colloidal crystal is 0.16. The thicknesses of transient zones adjacent to the electrode surface and outer boundary of colloidal crystal and the effective diffusion coefficients for these zones are determined. The dependence of effective diffusion coefficient on the number of spherical particle layers in the colloidal crystal is obtained. The distribution of the limiting current density over the electrode surface is analyzed at various numbers of particle layers.     

Effects of ligand density and pore size on the adsorption of bovine IgG with DEAE ion-exchange resins

Immunoglobulin G is an important plasma protein with many applications in therapeutics and diagnostics, which can be purified effectively by ion exchange chromatography. The ligand densities and pore properties of ion-exchange resins have significant effects on the separation behaviors of protein, however, the understandings are quite limited. In this work, with bovine immunoglobulin as the model IgG, the adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics were investigated systematically with series of diethylaminoethyl ion-exchange resins with different ligand densities and pore sizes. The Langmuir equation and pore diffusion model were used to fit the experimental data. The influences of ligand density and pore size on the saturated adsorption capacity, the dissociation constant and the effective diffusivity were discussed. The adsorption capacities increased with the increase of ligand density and the decrease of pore size, and an integrative parameter was proposed to describe the combined effects of ligand density and pore size. It was also found that the effective pore diffusion coefficient of the adsorption kinetics was influenced by pore sizes of resins, but was relatively independent on the ligand densities of resins. For a given protein, the ligand density and pore size should be optimized for improving the protein adsorption.     

Sensing DNA hybridization via ionic conductance through a nanoporous electrode

We show that nanoporous alumina modified with covalently linked DNA can be used to detect target DNA by monitoring the increase in impedance at the electrode upon DNA hybridization, which resulted from blocking the pores to ionic flow. Using cyclic voltammetry, direct current conductance, and impedance spectroscopy we confirm the importance of pore size: the effect is observed with 20-nm-diameter pores and is absent for 200-nm pores.     

Protein adsorption on novel acrylamido-based polymeric ion exchangers. II. Adsorption rates and column behavior

Uptake kinetics and breakthrough behavior were determined for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and alpha-chymotrypsinogen (alphaCHY) in new polymeric ion-exchange media based on acrylamido monomers. Two anion exchangers and a cation exchanger were investigated. As shown in Part I of this work, the two anion exchangers have different morphologies. The first one, BRX-Q, comprises a low-density gel with a matrix of denser polymeric aggregates. While this material has a very low size-exclusion limit for neutral probes, it exhibits an extremely high binding capacity for BSA. The second anion exchanger, BRX-QP, comprises large open pores but has a very low binding capacity. The cation exchanger, BRX-S, also comprises large open pores but exhibits an intermediate capacity; likely as a result of the presence of smaller pores. Dynamic protein uptake experiments showed that the highest mass transfer rates are obtained with BRX-Q. The apparent diffusivity is also highest for this material and increases substantially as the protein concentration is reduced. For these particles, the external film resistance is dominant at very low protein concentrations. Much lower rates and apparent diffusivities are obtained for BRX-QP. Finally intermediate rates and apparent diffusivities are found with BRX-S. The concentration dependence of the apparent pore diffusivity is much less pronounced in this case. The apparently paradoxical result that mass transfer rates are highest for the material with the smallest neutral-probe size-exclusion limit can be explained in terms of a general conceptual model where parallel pore and adsorbed-phase diffusion paths exist in these particles. In the first case, adsorbed phase diffusion in gel pores is dominant, while in the second transport is dominated by diffusion in a macroporous network. In the third case, both contributions are important. The conceptual model provides an accurate prediction of the breakthrough behavior of columns packed with these media using independently determined rate parameters. Dynamic binding capacities of 80-140 mg/ml were observed for BSA on BRX-Q in ca. 1.5 cm columns operated at 300-900 cm/h in agreement with theoretical predictions.     

Mathematical modeling of solution deionization by sorption on aerogel electrodes

The mathematical modeling is used to study the dynamics of solution deionization by sorption on aerogel electrodes. The matter transport by solution flow, diffusion, and sorption in pores are simulated. Several models are proposed to describe the phenomenon with different degree of approximation. Problems arising in numerical computing and ways to solve them are described. It is shown that at low solution concentrations and a small pore size the effect of electro-sorption is not reduced to the formation of a double electric layer on the pore surface, which uptakes ions from the solution. In addition to the formation of this layer distributed ionic charge is accumulated all over the pore space. The dependence of the effective diffusion coefficient inside the porous electrode on the ion concentration is found. Examples of calculating the deionization process at one-cycle and multi-cycle sorption are given.     

多壁碳纳米管-聚茜素红膜修饰电极测定多菌灵

制备了多壁碳纳米管-聚茜素红膜(MWNT-PAR)修饰电极,用循环伏安法和线性扫描伏安法、计时电量法等研究多菌灵在修饰电极上的电化学行为.结果表明,多菌灵在MWNT-PAR修饰电极上是扩散控制的不可逆电氧化过程.实验测定了部分电极过程参数,并发现多菌灵氧化峰电流的一阶导数值与其浓度在5.0×10~(-6)～1.0×10~(-4) mol/L范围内呈线性关系,回归方程为:I_p ′(A)=-3.112×10~(-6)-1.198c(mol/L),R=-0.9953,其检出限为2.0×10~(-7) mol/L,回收率为99.0%～105.6%.     

Characterization of pore structure in a nanoporous low-dielectric-constant thin film by neutron porosimetry and X-ray porosimetry

A small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) porosimetry technique is presented for characterization of pore structure in nanoporous thin films. The technique is applied to characterize a spin-on organosilicate low dielectric constant (low-k) material with a random pore structure. Porosimetry experiments are conducted using a "contrast match" solvent (a mixture of toluene-d8 and toluene-h8) having the same neutron scattering length density as that of the nanoporous film matrix. The film is exposed to contrast match toluene vapor in a carrier gas (air), and pores fill with liquid by capillary condensation. The partial pressure of the solvent vapor is increased stepwise from 0 (pure air) to P0 (saturated solvent vapor) and then decreased stepwise to 0 (pure air). As the solvent partial pressure increases, pores fill with liquid solvent progressively from smallest to largest. SANS measurements quantify the average size of the empty pores (those not filled with contrast match solvent). Analogous porosimetry experiments using specular X-ray reflectivity (SXR) quantify the volume fraction of solvent adsorbed at each step. Combining SXR and SANS data yields information about the pore size distribution and illustrates the size dependence of the filling process. For comparison, the pore size distribution is also calculated by application of the classical Kelvin equation to the SXR data.     

镍氢氧化物修饰玻碳电极的制备及其电化学行为

采用一种新方法———镀膜/循环伏安法成功制备了镍氢氧化物修饰玻碳电极。考察了影响镍氢氧化物膜电催化活性的因素,确定最佳富集时间为2min,最佳富集电位为-1.4V。讨论了成膜过程及机理。膜氧化峰电流及催化氧化峰电流均受扩散控制。制得的镍氢氧化物膜修饰电极具有相当的稳定性,并对H2O2的电氧化表现出较高的电催化活性。该电极对H2O2响应的线性范围为1.71×10-5~1.33×10-2mol/L,检出限为2.86×10-6mol/L(S/N=3)。     

Chromatography in pore networks II — The role of structure and adsorption in the band broadening

Summary The complex intraparticle structure typical of chromatographic column packings has been analyzed by use of an equivalent network model which emphasizes pore size distribution and connectivity. Special attention is given as to the way in which diffusion and adsorption interact and display modified peak spreading characteristics according to the morphology of the pore space. This study reveals a very significant increase in the column band broadening over that expected from physical adsorption which can arise from particular distributions of pore sizes. This has implications for designing packings which take advantage of the separating power due to adsorption but do not compromise the resolution of the chromatographic system.     

Syntheses of complex mesoporous silicas using mixtures of nonionic block copolymer surfactants: understanding formation of different structures using solubility parameters

The use of block copolymer (BCP) nonionic surfactant mixtures (including Pluronic, Brij and Tetronic types) as templates for synthesizing porous silica materials of mixed pore sizes is explored here. These systems have important applications because combinations of pore sizes can allow rapid access of reactants (via large pores) whilst providing the very high surface area of small pores for higher reaction rates or size selectivity. Examples of the materials prepared here include pore size bimodal hexagonal p6mm channel structures and cubic Im3m cage structures. It is shown here that the chemical similarity, as indicated by the solubility parameter, of the surfactants is an important factor in determining the pore structure and size distribution (PSD) of the pores. Monomodal pore structures are usually obtained when the solubility parameters of the surfactants are similar and bimodal pore structures when the solubility parameters are reasonably different. When the interaction parameter is very high disordered porous systems are formed. Ternary co-surfactant systems, e.g. P123-25R4-P65, can also yield highly ordered bimodal mesoporous silica with a hexagonal structure.     

Electrochemistry and capacitive charging of porous electrodes in asymmetric multicomponent electrolytes

We present porous electrode theory for the general situation of electrolytes containing mixtures of mobile ions of arbitrary valencies and diffusion coefficients (mobilities). We focus on electrodes composed of primary particles that are porous themselves. The predominantly bimodal distribution of pores in the electrode consists of the interparticle or macroporosity outside the particles through which the ions are transported (transport pathways), and the intraparticle or micropores inside the particles, where electrostatic double layers (EDLs) are formed. Both types of pores are filled with electrolyte (solvent plus ions). For the micropores we make use of a novel modified-Donnan (mD) approach valid for strongly overlapped double layers. The mD-model extends the standard Donnan approach in two ways: (1) by including a Stern layer in between the electrical charge and the ions in the micropores, and (2) by including a chemical attraction energy for the ions to go from the macropores into the micropores. This is the first paper where the mD-model is used to model ion transport and electrochemical reactions in a porous electrode. Furthermore we investigate the influence of the charge transfer kinetics on the chemical charge in the electrode, i.e., a contribution to the electrode charge of an origin different from that stemming from the Faradaic reaction itself, e.g. originating from carboxylic acid surface groups as found in activated carbon electrodes. We show that the chemical charge depends on the current via a shift in local pH, i.e. ??current-induced charge regulation.?? We present results of an example calculation where a divalent cation is reduced to a monovalent ion which electro-diffuses out of the electrode.     

Tractable molecular theory of transport of Lennard-Jones fluids in nanopores

We present here a tractable theory of transport of simple fluids in cylindrical nanopores, which is applicable over a wide range of densities and pore sizes. In the Henry law low-density region the theory considers the trajectories of molecules oscillating between diffuse wall collisions, while at higher densities beyond this region the contribution from viscous flow becomes significant and is included through our recent approach utilizing a local average density model. The model is validated by means of equilibrium as well nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of supercritical methane transport in cylindrical silica pores over a wide range of temperature, density, and pore size. The model for the Henry law region is exact and found to yield an excellent match with simulations at all conditions, including the single-file region of very small pore size where it is shown to provide the density-independent collective transport coefficient. It is also shown that in the absence of dispersive interactions the model reduces to the classical Knudsen result, but in the presence of such interactions the latter model drastically overpredicts the transport coefficient. For larger micropores beyond the single-file region the transport coefficient is reduced at high density because of intermolecular interactions and hindrance to particle crossings leading to a large decrease in surface slip that is not well represented by the model. However, for mesopores the transport coefficient increases monotonically with density, over the range studied, and is very well predicted by the theory, though at very high density the contribution from surface slip is slightly overpredicted. It is also seen that the concept of activated diffusion, commonly associated with diffusion in small pores, is fundamentally invalid for smooth pores, and the apparent activation energy is not simply related to the minimum pore potential or the adsorption energy as generally assumed.