The reactivity of photogenerated NO32− on polycrystalline gold electrodes with different surface structures

We considered the role of the superficial atomic structure of polycrystalline gold electrodes on the electrochemical oxidation and the reduction of NO₃^2? photogenerated by trapping of electrons emitted from the electrode. The perturbation of the superficial structure of the electrode by mechanical polishing slows down the oxidation of NO₃^2?. We observed only an activated process in this case. The superficial atomic reorganization of the surface by cyclic polarization makes this reaction faster without perturbation of the short-range diffusion process of reactive species. The production of highly dispersed surfaces (black gold) gives slightly more active electrodes than the preceding one, but influences the short-distance diffusion mode in solution. The last two electrode types exhibit barrier-less and activated processes for the charge-transfer step.     

The effects of isotopic substitution and competitive adsorption on the oxidation of aldehydes and alcohols at gold electrodes

The nature of the mechanism of the anodic oxidation of aldehydes in aqueous base on gold electrodes has been probed using isotopic substitution and competitive adsorption studies. A primary kinetic isotope effect of k_H/k_D=3?4 was observed upon substitution of deuterium for protium on the formyl group of benzaldehyde and cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde on gold in aqueous base using the techniques of cyclic voltammetry, rotating disc electrode voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Similar results are reported for the same aldehydes on a silver electrode, and also for the anodic oxidation of 2-propanol and 2-propanol-2-d on gold under similar conditions. Inhibition of the anodic cyclic voltammetric peak for benzaldehyde on gold by a variety of adsorbed species including CN^?, I^?, Br^?, (C₂H₅)₄N⁺ and diethylenetriamine is also described. These observations are used to propose a mechanism for the low potential oxidations of aldehydes and alcohols on gold involving a rate limiting dissociative adsorption step with cleavage of the α-carbon-hydrogen bond.     

Interfacial electrochemistry of cytochrome c at tin oxide,indium oxide,gold, and platinum electrodes

Cyclic voltammetry has been used to study the heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics of horse heart cytochrome c in pH 7 tris/cacodylate media at several electrode surfaces. Reversible voltammetric responses (formal heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant>10^?2 cm/s) were observed at bare gold electrodes and at tin-doped indium oxide semiconductor electrodes for certain experimental conditions. Quasireversible voltammetric responses were more typically observed at fluorine-doped tin oxide semiconductor electrodes, bare platinum electrodes, and at the indium oxide electrodes. Reaction rates at bare metal electrodes were strongly dependent on pretreatment procedures and experimental protocol. Reaction rates at metal oxide electrodes were strongly dependent on solution conditions, pretreatment procedures, and on the hydration state of the electrode surface. A general mechanistic scheme involving both interfacial electrostatic and chemical interactions is proposed for cytochrome c electrode reactions. The asymmetric distribution of surface charges on cytochrome c appears to play a dominant role in controlling electron transfer rates by its interaction with the electric field at the electrode surface. Electron transfer distances are also considered, and it is concluded that electron transfer between an electrode surface and the exposed heme edge of properly oriented cytochrome c molecules involves maximum distances of ca. 0.6–0.9 nm.     

Electrochemical and sem characterization of Ag electrodes roughened by potential sweep and potential step processes in aqueous chloride and chloride + pyridine media

The effect of solution pH and the presence of pyridine on the redox behavior of Ag electrodes in aqueous chloride media is investigated. Scanning electron microscopy is used to evaluate differences in surface morphology of Ag electrodes subjected to electrochemical oxidation and oxidation—reduction processes in 0.1 M KCl and 0.1 M KCl + 0.05 M pyridine media at pH values of 2, 7, and 12. Potential sweep and potential step methods are used to effect the electrochemical oxidation and oxidation—reduction events. Comparisons are made between the resulting surface morphologies on the submicroscopic level for Ag surfaces roughened in these two ways. The redox chemistry of the oxidation and reduction processes is interpreted in terms of the different species capable of interacting with the Ag electrode surface and Ag⁺ species generated during oxidation in each medium. Surface adsorbates proposed to be important include chloride ions and pyridine. The relative importance of these species in terms of their ability to influence the redox chemistry of the Ag electrodes is seen to be a sensitive function of solution pH.     

Surface poisoning during electrocatalytic monosaccharide oxidation reactions at gold electrodes in alkaline medium

In the present study, the surface poisoning of electrocatalytic monosaccharide oxidation reactions at gold electrodes were investigated. In the cyclic voltammetric studies, the electrocatalytic oxidation of aldohexose and aldopentose type monosaccharides, aminosugars, acetyl-glucosamine and glucronamide were observed at gold plate electrodes in alkaline medium. However, in controlled-potential electrolytic studies ranging −0.3 to −0.2 V in reaction solutions, current flows during electrolyses decreased quickly with time, except when glucosamine was used as a substrate.Results from surface enhanced infrared adsorption (SEIRA) spectroscopic measurements at an evaporated gold electrode for the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in 0.1 mol dm⁻³ NaOH at −0.3 V and Gaussian simulated spectra indicated that the gluconic acid as a 2-electron oxidation product and/or its analogs adsorbed onto the gold surface. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) measurement results, along with surface adsorption results from surface poisoning at the gold electrode during electrolytic reactions, suggested that gluconic acid and/or its analogs adsorbed vertically onto electrode surfaces in a full monolayer packing-like conformation. In the case of the electro oxidation of glucosamine in 0.1 mol dm⁻³ NaOH at −0.2 V, the obtained SEIRA spectra and EQCM results, clearly indicated that the glucosaminic acid as a 2-oxidation glucosamine product did not strongly bind onto the gold electrode surface.     

Effects of gold nanoparticle and electrode surface properties on electrocatalytic silver deposition for electrochemical DNA hybridization detection

In this paper we report the catalytic effects of various gold nanoparticles for silver electrodeposition on indium tin oxide (ITO)-based electrodes, and successfully apply this methodology for signal amplification of the hybridization assay. The most widely used gold nanoparticle-based hybridization indicators all promote silver electrodeposition on the bare ITO electrodes, with decreasing catalytic capability in order of 10 nm gold, DNA probe-10 nm gold conjugate, streptavidin-5 nm gold, and streptavidin-10 nm gold. Of greater importance, these electrocatalytic characteristics are affected by any surface modifications of the electrode surfaces. This is illustrated by coating the ITO with an electroconducting polymer, poly(2-aminobenzoic acid)(PABA), as well as avidin molecules, which are promising immobilization platforms for DNA biosensors. The catalytic silver electrodeposition of the gold nanoparticles on the PABA-coated ITO surfaces resembles that on the bare surfaces. With avidin covalently bound to the PABA, it is interesting to note that the changes in electrocatalytic performance vary for different types of gold nanoparticles. For the streptavidin-5 nm gold, the silver electrodeposition profile is unaffected by the presence of the avidin layer, whereas for both the 10 nm Au and DNA probe-10 nm gold conjugate, the deposition profiles are suppressed. The streptavidin-5 nm gold is employed as the hybridization indicator, with avidin-modified (via PABA) ITO electrode as the immobilization platform, to enable signal amplification by the silver electrodeposition process. Under the conditions, this detection strategy offers a signal-to-noise ratio of 20. We believe that this protocol has great potential for simple, reproducible, highly selective and sensitive DNA detection on fully integrated microdevices in clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring applications.     

Size-controlled fabrication of nanometer-sized gold electrodes with polystyrene coating

We present a simple, convenient procedure for the fabrication of nanometer-sized gold electrodes with the ability to control the electrode size at the construction stage. The electrodes are prepared by etching a gold wire, coating it with a polystyrene film, and then removing the film from the tip apex by thermal stripping in an aqueous solution in conjunction with in situ monitoring of the exposed electrode area by cyclic voltammetry measurements. It is demonstrated that the method produces point-like electrodes with precise control of the apparent electrode radius within a few nanometers.     

Blocking properties of gold electrodes modified with 4-nitrophenyl and 4-decylphenyl groups

The electrochemical properties of Au electrodes grafted with 4-nitrophenyl and 4-decylphenyl groups have been studied. The electrografting of gold electrode surface with aryl groups was carried out by electroreduction of the corresponding diazonium salts in acetonitrile. The nitrophenyl film growth on gold was examined by atomic force microscopy, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These measurements showed that a multilayer film of nitrophenyl groups was formed. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the blocking properties of aryl-modified gold electrodes towards the Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− redox system. The reduction of oxygen was strongly suppressed on these electrodes as evidenced by the rotating disc electrode results.     

Improvement of alternariol monomethyl ether detection at gold electrodes modified with a dodecanethiol self-assembled monolayer

The electro-oxidation of alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), one of the main metabolites of the Alternaria genus mycotoxins, is studied at 1-dodecanethiol (DDT)-modified gold electrodes, in acetonitrile (ACN) – aqueous phosphate buffer solutions of different pH values, by using cyclic (CV) and square-wave (SWV) voltammetries. The AME voltammetric response at the bare electrode suffers from two drawbacks: it appears at potentials close to the onset of gold oxide formation, and it is hampered by a fouling of the electrode surface due to the accumulation of oxidized products. These shortcomings are circumvented by the use of DDT-coated electrodes, since the intervening monolayer inhibits gold oxide formation and surface passivation by the electrochemical products, without affecting the oxidation kinetics of AME significantly. Diagnostic criteria based on the voltammetric peak parameters show that the electrochemical behavior of AME at the modified electrode is mainly controlled by reactant diffusion from solution, with a weak adsorption of both the mycotoxin and its oxidation products at monolayer defects. Calibration curves were constructed from the AME square-wave voltammetric response and a detection limit of 9.1 × 10⁻⁸ mol dm⁻³ was determined, which is about three times smaller than a previous estimate at platinum and glassy carbon electrodes, and about fifty times smaller than the limit derived from measurements carried out at a polyphenol oxidase-modified carbon paste electrode.     

Quasi-reversible two-electron reduction of oxygen at gold electrodes modified with a self-assembled submonolayer of cysteine

The electrochemical reduction of molecular oxygen (O₂) has been performed at gold electrodes modified with a submonolayer of a self-assembly (sub-SAM/Au) of a thiol compound (typically cysteine (CYST)) in O₂-saturated 0.5 M KOH. At bare gold electrode O₂ reduction reaction proceeds irreversibly, while this reaction is totally hindered at gold electrodes with a compact structure of CYST over its surface. The partial reductive desorption of the compact CYST monolayer was achieved by controlling the potential of the CYST/Au electrode, leading to the formation of a submonolayer coverage of the thiol compound over the Au electrode surface (sub-SAM/Au), at which the CYST molecules selectively block the Au(1 0 0) and Au(1 1 0) fractions (the so-called rough domains) of the polycrystalline Au while the Au(1 1 1) component (the so-called smooth domains) remains bare (i.e., uncovered with CYST). This sub-SAM/Au electrode extraordinarily exhibits a quasi-reversible two-electron reduction of molecular oxygen (O₂) in alkaline medium with a peak separation (ΔE_p) between the cathodic and anodic peak potentials (E_p^c,E_p^a) of about 60 mV. The ratio of the anodic current to the cathodic one is close to unity. The formal potential (E^o′) of this reaction is found to equal −150 mV vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl(sat.).     

Adsorption of differently charged forms of horseradish peroxidase on metal electrodes of different nature: effect of surface charges

The adsorption and bioelectrocatalytical activity in the reaction of H(2)O(2) reduction of two forms of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) offering different surface charges at pH 6.0 were studied on gold and silver electrodes. Positively charged HRP was assessed at pH 6.0 for the case of native HRP (isoenzyme C, pI=8.8), and negatively charged HRP for the case of native HRP exposed to previous oxidation of carbohydrate residues and further introduction of sulfonate groups (pI=5.0). Under oxidative pretreatment, the gold electrode surface was considered to be negatively charged. Data on the direct immobilisation of HRPs on the bare gold surfaces were estimated with quartz crystal microbalance and data on bioelectrocatalytical activity of peroxidases on gold and silver electrodes were obtained in the course of direct and mediated amperometric detection of H(2)O(2). The presented results demonstrate that the surface charges of both the enzyme and the electrode play a dominant role in the immobilisation and, thereby, in the efficiency of the bioelectrocatalytical processes.     

The conductance and stability of fused dithia-heterocyclic compounds contacted with gold and platinum electrodes

The electronic transport properties of two kinds of fused dithia-heterocyclic compounds, 2,3,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (THBDT) and benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b]dithiophene (BDT), connected to gold and platinum electrodes are investigated using a self-consistent abinitio approach that combines the non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism with density functional theory. Our calculations show that the transmission at the Fermi level of the Au–THBDT–Au junction, where the THBDT molecule is connected to two gold electrodes through a gold adatom on each side, is 3.1 × 10⁻², in good agreement with the experimentally measured value (1.2 × 10⁻²). Replacement of the gold electrodes with platinum electrodes can improve the junction stability but cannot increase the zero-bias junction conductance. In contrast, due to the enhanced conjugation in BDT and the better molecule–electrode coupling, both the transmission and the stability of the Pt–BDT–Pt junction are improved significantly, demonstrating the close relation between the device performance and the device structure.     

Diazonium salts: Stable monolayers on gold electrodes for sensing applications

The modification of gold electrodes with 4-carboxyphenyl diazonium salts to form stable layers for sensing applications is reported. Electrochemical reduction of 4-carboxyphenyl diazonium salts on gold electrodes yielded more stable layers than alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers in terms of extremes of electrode potential, sonication and with time. The application of the 4-carboxyphenyl modified electrodes for electrochemical sensing, which typically requires short chain alkanethiols on gold electrodes, is demonstrated via the covalent attachment of oligopeptides for the selective detection of Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺. The diazonium salt/peptide modified gold electrodes not only had greater stability but also performed with lowest detected concentration to alkanethiol/peptide modified electrodes and with far greater sensitivity than the metal ion sensors when diazonium salt/peptide modified similar glassy carbon electrodes were employed.     

Behaviour of silver—silver malonate and silver—silver succinate electrodes in aqueous media

The silver—silver oxalate electrode has been employed by many workers^1–3 in aqueous media as the second order reference electrode, but no work seems to have been done so far on the study of the behaviour of silver—silver malonate and silver—silver succinate electrodes. The present work deals with the study of these electrodes in ionic equilibria of malonate and succinate ions in aqueous media. These electrodes, in conjunction with a saturated calomel electrode, have been employed in the poten- tiometric determination of malonate and succinate ions in aqueous media. In additon, the effect of the added salts, such as, potassium nitrate and sucrose on the behaviour of these electrodes has also been examined in this media.     

Effect of solution pH on the electrochemical behavior of thiocarbamide at gold and platinum electrodes

The effect of solution pH on the electrochemical behavior of thiocarbamide at gold and platinum electrodes is studied by using cyclic voltammetry and quartz microgravimetry. It is shown that with the increasing of pH the half-wave potential of thiocarbamide oxidation shifts toward negative values in both cases. In the cathodic branches of the cyclic voltammograms, up to pH ≃ 4 the potential region of reduction of the thiocarbamide oxidation product remains practically unchanged; this allows concluding that the oxidation product is formamidine disulfide (at platinum) or its mixture with gold complex ions (at gold electrode). Further increasing of pH up to 9.5–10 results in the increase of the contribution of the reduction current of these ions to the cathodic signal. An explanation for this phenomenon is given. At the same time, new signals appear at E < −0.4 V; they may be interpreted as the current of elemental sulfur reduction. Increasing of pH over 10 leads to gold passivation by the elemental sulfur; this manifests itself as the electrode mass increase during the microgravimetry measurements. Introducing of sodium silicate (recommended in the literature as a solution stabilizer) to the solution does not eliminate the passivation of gold.     

EDL structure and peculiarities of ferricyanide cyclic voltammetry for silver deposits on gold

The evolution of electrochemical characteristics of a gold electrode upon the deposition of one and more atomic silver layers was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry and the method of potential temperature jump induced by the laser irradiation. Characteristics of the electric double layer on Ag monolayer are determined to be close to those of a massive silver electrode. Meanwhile, the electron-transfer parameters for the model redox system Fe(CN)₆^{3 −/4 −} correspond to a gold electrode. The silver beyond the first atomic layer in multilayer deposits was shown to transform into Ag hexacyanoferrate (II) due to the spontaneous chemical reaction with K₃Fe(CN)₆ from the solution. For the Fe(CN)₆^{3 −/4 −} redox system, the difference between oxidation and reduction peak potentials on a cyclic voltammogram increases with the growth of the silver layers number. This effect results from the corresponding increase in the ohmic resistance of the silver hexacyanoferrate (II) film and is not attributed to the changes in the electron-transfer kinetics.     

Attempts to acclerate the rates of oxidation of ruthenium and osmium tetramethylcyclam complexes at graphite and glassy carbon electrodes and within nafion coatings

The oxidation of 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane complexes of ruthenium(III) and (IV) and osmium(III) proceeds much more slowly than the reduction of the corresponding oxidation products at platinum, gold and untreated glassy carbon electrodes. The oxidations at oxidized glassy carbon and pyrolytic graphite electrode surfaces are more rapid. The suggestion (Cabaniss et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 107 (1985) 1845) that quinone-like functional groups on the oxidized electrode surfaces are responsible for the higher reaction rates was tested by adsorbing various quinones on the surfaces of unactivated glassy carbon electrodes. Rate enhancements resulted in some, but not all, cases. When they were incorporated in Nafion coatings, the oxidation of the ruthenium and osmium complexes was slow at all electrode surfaces. The pH dependences of the oxidation rates on both bare electrodes and within Nafion indicated that the rate limiting step was the proton loss that accompanies the electron transfer during the oxidation. One attempt to utilize a powerfully oxidizing, proton-accepting complex as a homogeneous catalyst for the oxidations was unsuccessful. A possible reason is suggested for the apparently superior catalytic activity of oxidized surfaces.     

Flow potentiometric and constant-current stripping analysis for mercury(II) with gold,platinum and carbon fibre working electrodes : Application to the Analysis of Tap Water

Gold, platinum and carbon fibres with 10-μm diameter were mounted in PVC tubes and used as flow sensors in computerized potentiometric and constant-current stripping analysis for mercury, after electroplating ofa gold film onto the fibre surfaces. Compared to gold and glassy carbon disc electrodes, the fibre electrodes gare increased sensitivity and stability and were considerably simpler to handle. The gold-coated carbon fibre electrode gave a higher background than the gold fibre electrode, in both the potentiometric and constant-current stripping modes. Mercury(II) could be determined in presence of a 10⁵-fold (molar) amount of copper(II) by constant-current stripping in media with chloride concentrations below 0.05 M. The detection limit for mercury(II) after 10 min of electrolysis was 45 ng l^?1 at the 3 σ level.     

Direct electrochemistry of bacterial cytochrome c551 at surface-modified gold electrodes

The direct electrochemistry of the single heme cytochrome c₅₅₁ from the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been investigated at gold electrodes surface-modified through chemisorption of polyfunctional organic molecules. The results have been compared and contrasted with those obtained under the same conditions for the eukaryotic cytochrome c from horse heart. Both cytochromes give a quasi-reversible electrode reaction at pH 6.0 at a modified interface presenting only 4-pyridyl groups to the solution suggesting the occurrence, in both cases, of a hydrogen bonding interaction from lysine side-chains on the protein to pyridyl-nitrogens on the electrode surface. However, in contrast, gold electrodes modified by Pyridine-n-AldehydeThioSemicarbazones (n = 2, 3, 4) give electrochemistry which is strongly isomer-dependent in the case of horse heart cytochrome c but completely isomer-independent in the case of cytochrome c₅₅₁. It is suggested that interaction of the eukaryotic protein with surfaces is dominated by its lysine residues only, but that interaction of the bacterial cytochrome is through hydrogen bonding from the surface to both lysines and carboxylate groups of aspartate residues. This is supported by observation of the loss of cytochrome c₅₅₁ electrochemistry at 4-pyridyl-only modified gold at pH 9.0 compared with the good, quasi-reversible electrochemistry maintained under the same conditions at PATS-4 modified gold. It is concluded that, while the two cytochromes show many similarities with respect to their structures and functions, they have quite different interfacial electron transfer reactions, particularly at PATS-modified electrodes. This may correlate with the known large differences between the two proteins in net electrostatic charge and surface charge distribution.     

Multilayered construction of glucose oxidase on gold electrodes based on layer-by-layer covalent attachment

A feasible approach to construct multilayered enzyme film on the gold electrode surface for use as biosensing interface is described. The film was fabricated by alternate layer-by-layer deposition of periodate-oxidized glucose oxidase (GOx) and poly(allylamine) (PAA). The covalent attachment process was followed and confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments revealed that the film was homogeneous and formed in an ordered manner with a thickness of 2.6 ± 0.1 nm per bilayer. The gold electrodes modified with the GOx/PAA multilayers showed excellent electrocatalytical response to the oxidation of glucose when ferrocenemethanol was used as an artificial redox mediator, which was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). From the analysis of voltammetric signals, the coverage of active enzyme on the electrode surface was estimated, which had a linear relationship with the number of GOx/PAA bilayers. This suggests that the analytical performance such as sensitivity, detection limit, and so on, is tunable by controlling the number of attached bilayers. The six GOx/PAA bilayer electrode exhibited a sensitivity of 15.1 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻² with a detection limit of 3.8 × 10⁻⁶ M. In addition, the sensor exhibited good reproducibility and stability.