Voltammetric determination of theophylline in pharmaceutical formulations using aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) film modified electrode

A novel rapid, convenient and sensitive electrochemical method has been described for the determination of theophylline in pharmaceutical formulations, based on the extraordinary properties of an aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) thin film. The voltammetric results suggest that the ACNTs-coated glass carbon electrode can exhibit excellent electrochemical activity for direct electrochemical oxidation of theophylline. Various experimental parameters such as solution pH value, amount of ACNTs suspension, accumulation conditions and scan rate were optimized for the determination of theophylline. Furthermore, it was found that the peak current increased linearly with the concentration of theophylline in the range of 8.0 × 10^?8?1.0 × 10^?5 M and the detection limit was 1.6 × 10^?8 M using differential pulse voltammetry. This newly proposed method has been applied successfully to the determination of theophylline in drugs.     

Catalytic effect analysis of metallic additives on light crude oil by TG and DSC tests

This research aimed at the investigation of the effect of different metallic additive on the combustion and kinetic behavior of crude oil. For this purpose, the thermal behavior of the oil-only and oil–metallic salts mixtures were studies by the thermogravimetry (TG)/derivative thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) on heating rate at 10 °C min^?1. The result shows that Dagang crude oil exhibited apparent low temperature oxidation (LTO), fuel deposition, and high temperature oxidation processes. With the addition of metallic salts, the LTO process has been shortened and samples added CuSO₄, CrCl₃·6H₂O, and AlCl₃·6H₂O achieved a much lower peak temperature than that of oil. Based on the Arrhenius model, metallic additives were proven to have obvious influence on the combustion activation energy. And, by comprehensive analysis of TG/DSC profile and activation energy, ZnSO₄ exhibited a positive influence on light crude oil combustion during the high pressure air injection process.     

High efficiency palladium catalysts supported on multi-wall carbon nanotubes synthesized with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino) propane for ethanol oxidation

In this paper, a facile and effective method is introduced to prepare palladium electrocatalysts for the oxidation of ethanol in alkaline media. According to the transmission electron microscopy measurement, the as-prepared Pd nanoparticles with the average particle size of 2.5 nm are evenly deposited on the surface of the multi-wall carbon nanotubes by using 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino) propane as a special additive. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the as-prepared catalyst exhibits good electrocatalytic activity and stability for the electrooxidation of ethanol.     

A Hairpin Electrochemical Aptasensor for Sensitive and Specific Detection of Thrombin Based on Homogenous Target Recognition

An electrochemical aptasensor was developed for sensitive and specific detection of thrombin by combining homogenous recognition strategy and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) amplification. Streptavidin‐alkaline phosphatase was used as reporter molecule. Compared with the traditional hairpin aptasensor monitoring the distance of the redox molecule from the electrode surface, the proposed aptasensor successfully overcome the limitations of distance and improved the stability and high affinity of the aptamer hairpin through homogenous recognition, which enhanced the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors effectively. Additionally, AuNPs were employed to increase the active area and conductivity of the electrode, thus, improving the sensitivity of the aptasensor. As a result, the designed thrombin detection sensor obtained a lower detection limit of 0.52 pM in buffer and 6.9 pM in blood serum.     

Electrochemical Recognition of Chiral Molecules with Poly(4‐bromoaniline) Modified Gold Electrode

A poly(4‐bromoaniline) (PBA) film is electrochemically synthesized on a gold electrode for the recognition of amino acids enantiomers. Scanning electron microscopy measurements show that the porous PBA films are made up of nano‐ribbons. At the PBA modified Au electrode differential pulse voltammograms of L ‐ and D ‐glutamic acids not only have very different current densities, but also produce different waveforms, providing an intuitive way to differentiate the two chiral molecules. Similar results are obtained in analyzing L ‐ and D ‐aspartic acids. Control experiments suggest that the observed sensing behavior arises from synergistic interactions between Au and the PBA film, where polymerization at the meta‐position creates a steric structure needed for differentiating chiral molecules.     

Detection of dopamine in the presence of excess ascorbic acid at physiological concentrations through redox cycling at an unmodified microelectrode array

The electrochemical behavior of dopamine was examined under redox cycling conditions in the presence and absence of a high concentration of the interferent ascorbic acid at a coplanar, microelectrode array where the area of the generator electrodes was larger than that of the collector electrodes. Redox cycling converts a redox species between its oxidized and reduced forms by application of suitable potentials on a set of closely located generator and collector electrodes. It allows signal amplification and discrimination between species that undergo reversible and irreversible electron transfer. Microfabrication was used to produce 18 individually addressable, 4-μm-wide gold band electrodes, 2 mm long, contained in an array having an interelectrode spacing of 4 μm. Because the array electrodes are individually addressable, each can be selectively biased to produce an overall optimal electrochemical response. Four adjacent microbands were shorted together to serve as the collector, and were flanked on each side by seven microbands shorted as the generator (a ratio of 1:3.5 of electroactive area, respectively). This configuration achieved a detection limit of 0.454?±?0.026 μM dopamine at the collector in the presence of 100 μM ascorbic acid in artificial cerebrospinal fluid buffer, concentrations that are consistent with physiological levels. Enhancement by surface modification of the microelectrode array to achieve this detection limit was unnecessary. The results suggest that the redox cycling method may be suitable for in vivo quantification of transients and basal levels of dopamine in the brain without background subtraction.