Toposelective electrochemical desorption of thiol SAMs from neighboring polycrystalline gold surfaces

We describe a method for the selective desorption of thiol self-assembled monolayers from gold surfaces having micrometer-scale separations on a substrate. In an electrolyte solution, the electrical resistance between the adjacent areas can be much lower than the resistance between a surface and the counter electrode. Also, both reductive and oxidative thiol desorption may occur. Therefore, the potentials of the surfaces must be independently controlled with a multichannel potentiostat and operating windows for a given thiol/electrolyte system must be established. In this study operating windows were established for 1-dodecanethiol-based SAMs in phosphate buffer, phosphate-buffered saline, and sodium hydroxide solution, and selective SAM removal was successfully performed in a four-electrode configuration.     

New insight into the electrochemical desorption of alkanethiol SAMs on gold

A combination of Polarization Modulation Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy (PMIRRAS) under electrochemical control, Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (ECSTM) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations has been used to shed light on the reductive desorption process of dodecanethiol (C12) and octadecanethiol (C18) SAMs on gold in aqueous electrolytes. Experimental PMIRRAS, ECSTM and MD simulations data for C12 desorption are consistent with formation of randomly distributed micellar aggregates stabilized by Na(+) ions, coexisting with a lying-down phase of molecules. The analysis of pit and Au island coverage before and after desorption is consistent with the thiolate-Au adatoms models. On the other hand, PMIRRAS and MD data for C18 indicate that the desorbed alkanethiolates adopt a Na(+) ion-stabilized bilayer of interdigitated alkanethiolates, with no evidence of lying down molecules. MD simulations also show that both the degree of order and tilt angle of the desorbed alkanethiolates change with the surface charge on the metal, going from bilayers to micelles. These results demonstrate the complexity of the alkanethiol desorption in the presence of water and the fact that chain length and counterions play a key role in a complex structure.     

Electrochemical properties of a polycrystalline gold electrode in propylene carbonate solutions

The adsorption of 1,6-hexanediol at the Hg—aqueous solution interface was investigated. The differential capacity, interfacial tension and the zero charge potential were measured. Analysis of the results were carried out both at constant charge and at constant potential. Good congruence with respect to the potential and noncongruence with respect to the charge was found. It was shown that the hexanediol molecules orientate flat against the surface and the adsorption could be described equally well by the Frumkin or Flory—Huggins isotherms. Adsorption parameters for the hexanediol were compared with the literature data on adsorption of ethanediol and 1,4-butanediol. It was concluded that adsorption of diols does not affect the thickness of the inner layer. Thus, this adsorption is well described by the model of two parallel capacitors.     

Assessment of the morphology of mixed SAMs on Au nanoparticles using a fluorescent probe

The distribution of thiols in mixed SAMs can be determined in a straightforward manner from spectrophotometric titrations using a fluorescent probe. A plot of saturation concentration as a function of mole fraction provides information on the number of headgroups involved in binding.     

Loosely packed hydroxyl-terminated SAMs on gold

We report the preparation of loosely packed hydroxyl-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold by the adsorption of bis(11,11'-dithioundecyl)perfluoroheptanoate and base-mediated cleavage of the fluorocarbon terminal group. As shown through complementary characterization methods, the partially fluorinated SAM exhibits a structure in which the outer surface contains mostly -CF(3) groups, the fluorocarbon groups are slightly canted on average, and the hydrocarbon chains underneath are in a fluidlike state. Upon cleavage of the fluorocarbon group, the hydroxyl-terminated alkyl chains relax into an increasingly canted, fluidlike state. The resulting monolayer packing exposes both methylene and hydroxyl functionalities, yielding an intermediate surface energy (theta(a)(H(2)O) approximately 68 degrees ). As compared to a densely packed hydroxyl-terminated SAM prepared from bis(11-hydroxyundecyl)disulfide, the cleaved films are thinner because of the greater average chain cant and exhibit a approximately 50% higher capacitance and a factor of 5 lower charge-transfer resistance. The addition of THF to the electrolyte solution as a cosolvent intercalates into the loosely packed SAM to double the charge-transfer resistance and increase the capacitance by approximately 20% but does not affect the capacitance of the densely packed SAM. The loosely packed SAM is also more easily exchanged upon exposure to a solution of n-docosanethiol.     

DNA surface nanopatterning by selective reductive desorption from polycrystalline gold electrode

Selective electrochemical desorption was employed to pattern polycrystalline gold electrodes with thiolated DNA. The sacrificial thiol 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) was selectively desorbed from the crystallographic plane Au(1 1 1) to revealed bare gold domains, surrounded by SAMs of 3-MPA present on the adjacent low index planes Au(1 1 0) and Au(1 0 0). Thiolated DNA sequences were further immobilised on the revealed Au(1 1 1) and the hybridisation efficiency towards complementary and non-complementary sequences evaluated. All derivatisation steps were followed by cyclic voltammetry and faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Successful hybridisation resulted in large drops in resistance to charge transfer, attributed to the extension of the DNA surface duplex into solution resulting in an increased diffusion of electrochemical probes to the electrode surface. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the method to generate a DNA sensor able to efficiently discriminate between complementary and non-complementary sequences with good reproducibility.     

Electrochemical evaluation of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine adsorption on polycrystalline gold

Using differential capacity and chronocoulometry, we have studied the electrosorption of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) on polycrystalline gold electrode surfaces. Our results indicate that the orientation of DMAP is highly dependent on the electrode potential and electrolyte pH. At pH values at or above the primary pKa, the adsorbed species is DMAP and orients vertically on the electrode surface via the lone pair of electrons on the pyridine ring's nitrogen atom. At very low pH values (<3) the adsorbed species is the protonated ion, DMAPH+, which can be desorbed from the electrode surface when the metal's surface charge density is made appreciably positive of the potential of zero charge. At intermediate electrolyte pH, either DMAP or DMAPH+ is adsorbed on the surface depending on the electrode's potential. At negative charge densities, DMAPH+ lies nearly flat on the gold electrode and the surface coverage is correspondingly low. When the electrode is positively charged, the adsorbate undergoes a phase transition to a vertical orientation and is simultaneously deprotonated to DMAP. Our results rationalize the stability of DMAP-ligated gold nanoparticles as a function of pH and demonstrate that the ligand's surface coverage is the principal factor in determining the stability of the colloidal system.     

一种结构新颖的二茂铁硫醇自组装膜的电化学行为

合成二茂铁乙烯基吡啶硫醇(FcC2′PyC4SH,I)及其还原产物二茂铁乙烷基吡啶硫醇(FcC2′PyC4SH,Ⅱ).再利用分子自组装技术在金电极表面形成二茂铁乙烯基吡啶硫醇单分子膜,通过循环伏安法探讨了这种自组装膜与结构相关的电化学响应.     

In situ characterisation of the aqueous gold colloid interface using CO as a surface probe: IR spectroscopic studies

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra are presented of CO gas-treated protected gold colloids prepared from hydrazinium hydrate reduction of an Au(III) precursor which reproducibly feature a weak, shortlived peak at ca. 2169 cm(-1). When the gold colloid was treated with 99% isotopically enriched (13)CO gas, the IR peak shifted to a frequency of 2114 cm(-1) which indicated that it represented a simple gold monocarbonyl species. The value of 2169 cm(-1) for the CO stretching frequency suggests the peak represents CO physisorbed on oxidised gold atoms on the colloid surface. The peak is not observed when the concentration of the colloidally dispersed gold is reduced either by use of lower starting salt concentrations or by aggregation. It is also not observed when solutions of the protecting agent or reducing agent or the dispersion medium (water) or even the starting Au(III) salts are CO-treated individually. This confirms that the spectral feature is uniquely associated with colloidally dispersed gold. In general, the work has shown that the surfaces of Au colloids in situ have partially oxidised Au character which is of interest in systems where supported nanoparticulate gold derived from colloid preparations are considered for low temperature oxidation catalysts for CO.     

Raman mapping and in situ SERS spectroelectrochemical studies of 6-mercaptopurine SAMs on the gold electrode

The self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) were formed at the roughened polycrystalline gold surfaces in acid and alkaline media. The time-dependent Raman mapping spectral analysis in conjunction with the quantum calculations for the vibrational modes using ab initio BLYP/6-31G method suggested that both of the resulted 6MP SAMs adopted the same adsorption mode through the S atom of pyrimidine moiety and the N7 atom of the imidazole moiety anchoring the gold surface in a vertical way. The in situ surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroelectrochemical experiment was conducted to examine the stability of the SAMs at various bias potentials. It was found that the detaching process of the 6MP SAMs from the surface involved one electron reduction as the voltage was applied at ca. 0.7 V vs a standard calomel electrode.     

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...     

Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance study of perchlorate and perrhenate anion adsorption on polycrystalline gold electrode

The electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) was used to study adsorption/desorption of perchlorate and perrhenate ions on a bare polycrystalline gold electrode. An electrode mass change in perrhenate solution was about double that of perchlorate. The equivalent mass of adsorbed anions (about 260 and 120 g F⁻¹ respectively) suggests adsorption of perchlorate and perrhenate anions on a polycrystalline gold electrode in the double-layer region. Water molecules are partially expelled from the gold surface during the initial stages of anion adsorption. The water loss is about three times larger for perrhenate compared to perchlorate due to the bigger ionic radius (volume) of the perrhenate anion.     

Electrochemical detection of a Vibrio parahaemolyticus sequence-specific gene based on a gold electrode modified with a single stranded probe

An electrochemical DNA biosensor for specific-sequences detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP) was fabricated. A single-stranded 20-mer oligonucleotide (ssDNA) and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol (MCH) were immobilized via a thiol linker on gold disk electrodes by self-assembling. The ssDNA underwent hybridization in a hybridization solution containing complementary or non-complementary or single base pair mismatched DNA sequences of VP. Examination of changes in response to these three target DNAs showed that the developed biosensor had a high selectivity and sensitivity.     

Electrochemical SNPs detection using an abasic site-containing DNA on a gold electrode

An abasic site-containing DNA combined with lumiflavin allows amperometric determination of single nucleotide polymorphism through hydrogen bond-mediated nucleobase recognition in water by using abasic sites as a molecular recognition field.     

Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry of n-alkylthiol (C5-C18) self-assembled monolayers on gold

The infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE) of n-alkylthiol (CH3(CH2)xSH, x = 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 15, and 17, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), with 5-18 carbon atoms (C5-C18), grown on gold-coated Si(100) substrates) was investigated at room temperature. The C-H stretching vibrations could be resolved even for pentathiol, the shortest chain studied. The symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibrations of the CH2 groups are located at about 2850 and 2920 cm(-1), and those of CH3 are at about 2877 and 2962 cm(-1), respectively; they show a slight shift with the number of CH2 units. In addition, Fermi resonance of the symmetric CH3 stretching vibration at 2940 cm(-1) appears with decreasing chain length due to weak coupling with the asymmetric CH2 stretching vibration. The "odd-even effect" of the n-alkylthiol SAMs with varying CH2 units could be distinguished by the two interactive IRSE parameters. The relative ellipsometric spectra for the four longest chains could be reproduced quite well by using a Lorentz multioscillator model with a three-phase optical model (air/SAMs/gold). On the basis of the theoretical calculations, the vibrational strength of these oscillators is very weak, its magnitude being 10(-4)-10(-5). The full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of the peaks varies from 7 to 33 cm(-1). Moreover, the intensity of the C-H vibrations increases with the number of methylene units, due to strong lateral interactions and ordering effects occurring for longer chains.     

Selective reductive desorption of a SAM-coated gold electrode revealed using fluorescence microscopy

The reductive desorption of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of a fluorescent thiol molecule (BodipyC10SH) from Au was characterized using electrochemistry and epi-fluorescence microscopy. Molecular luminescence is quenched near a metal surface, so fluorescence was only observed for molecules reductively desorbed and then separated from the electrode surface. Fluorescence imaging showed that reductive desorption was selective, with desorption occurring from different regions of the Au electrode depending on the extent of the negative potential excursion. When desorbed, the molecules were sufficiently mobile, diffusing away from the electrode surface, thereby preventing oxidative readsorption. At sufficiently negative desorption potentials, all of the thiol was desorbed from the electrode surface, resulting in fluorescence at the air/solution interface. The selective removal of the thiol monolayer from distinct regions was correlated to features on the electrode surface and was explained through potential-dependent interfacial energies. This in situ electrofluorescence microscopy technique may be useful in sensor development.     

4-Mercaptophenylboronic acid SAMs on gold: comparison with SAMs derived from thiophenol, 4-mercaptophenol, and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid

We report the formation and characterization of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) derived from the adsorption of 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (MPBA) on gold. For comparison, SAMs derived from the adsorption of thiophenol (TP), 4-mercaptophenol (MP), and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA) were also examined. The structure and properties of the SAMs were evaluated by ellipsometry, contact-angle goniometry, polarization-modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Specifically, ellipsometry was used to assess the formation of monolayer films, and contact angle measurements were used to determine the surface hydrophilicity and homogeneity. Separately, PM-IRRAS was used to evaluate the molecular composition and orientation as well as the intermolecular hydrogen bonding within the SAMs. Finally, XPS was used to evaluate the film composition and surface coverage (i.e., packing density), which was observed to increase in the following order: TP < MP < MPBA < MBA. A rationalization for the observed packing differences is presented. The XPS data indicate further that ultrahigh vacuum conditions induce the partial dehydration of MPBA SAMs with the concomitant formation of surface boronic anhydride species. Overall, the analytical data collectively show that the MPBA moieties in the SAMs exist in the acid form rather than the anhydride form under ambient laboratory conditions. Furthermore, stability studies find that MPBA SAMs are surprisingly labile in basic solution, where the terminal B-C bonds are cleaved by the attack of hydroxide ion and strongly basic amine nucleophiles. The unanticipated lability observed here should be considered by those wishing to use MPBA moieties in carbohydrate-sensing applications.     

Electrochemical detection of hydrazine using a highly sensitive nanoporous gold electrode

A facile alloy–dealloy technique performed in aqueous media was employed to prepare a nanoporous gold (NPG) electrode that demonstrated extremely high sensitivity toward hydrazine oxidation. An Ag_∼60Au_∼40 alloy was electrodeposited at a constant potential on sequentially Cr- and Au-deposited indium tin oxide (Au/Cr/ITO) from a bath that contained sulfuric acid, thiourea, HAuCl₄·3H₂O, and AgNO₃. The dealloying step was performed in concentrated HNO₃, where Ag in the alloy was selectively oxidized to leave the NPG structure. The NPG electrode was employed to study the hydrazine oxidation in basic phosphate buffer solution (PBS), and the results were compared with those obtained using the gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-modified ITO (AuNP/ITO) electrode. The NPG electrode demonstrated an unusual surface-confined behavior, which probably resulted from the thin-layer characteristics of the nano-pores. Hydrazine was detected by hydrodynamic chronoamperometry (HCA) at +0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The steady-state oxidative current exhibited a linear dependence on the hydrazine concentration in the concentration range of 5.00 nM–2.05 mM, and the detection limit was 4.37 nM (σ = 3). This detection limit is the lower than the detection limits reported in the current literature concerning the electrochemical detection of hydrazine. The NPG electrode indeed demonstrates greater stability after hydrazine detection than the AuNP/ITO electrode.     

Electrochemical detection of kinase-catalyzed thiophosphorylation using gold nanoparticles

An electrochemical biosensor for kinase-catalyzed reactions is coupled with the thiophosphorylation of the substrate peptide using adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio] triphosphate (ATP-S) as the co-substrate.     

Stable immobilization of an oligonucleotide probe on a gold substrate using tripodal thiol derivatives

We proposed an interface molecule for immobilization of DNA probes on solid substrates of DNA chips. We have designed and synthesized tripodal thiol derivatives for stable immobilization of oligonucleotide probes on a gold surface. On the basis of the tetrahedral structure of tripod, the tripodal thiol derivatives were bonded upright to the gold substrate, which would control the orientation of oligonucleotide probes. When the gold substrate with oligonucleotide probes tethered using the thiol derivatives was exposed to deionized water at higher temperatures, the tripodal interface molecules were attached to the gold surface more stably than the single contact molecules. The DNA chip platform combined with the functional interface molecule is suitable for a reproducible, inexpensive, and high-throughput detection system for genetic analyses in clinical diagnostics.