Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination of Imipramine and Amitriptiline at a Nanoclay Composite Carbon Ionic Liquid Electrode

A new carbon nanocomposite electrode has been designed by incorporation of montmorillonite nanoclay into a carbon ionic liquid electrode for the electrochemical determination of imipramine (IMP) and amitriptyline (AMT). They are expected to accumulate on the electrode surface through the cooperative interaction of ionic liquid and clay with the drugs. The proposed electrode also possesses attractive electrocatalytic effects towards the drugs especially AMT. Low detection limits of 19 nM for IMP and 24 nM for AMT were achieved. The proposed nanocomposite electrode exhibits good applicability for monitoring IMP and AMT in pharmaceutical formulations and blood serum samples.     

Electrochemical Determination of Dextromethorphan on Reduced Graphene Oxide Modified Screen‐Printed Electrode after Electromembrane Extraction

In this paper, electromembrane extraction coupled with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) on a reduced graphene oxide modified screen‐printed carbon electrode (RGO‐SPCE) for the determination of dextromethorphan (DXM) in urine and plasma has been described. DXM migrated from 4 mL of a donor phase across a thin layer of 2‐nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) immobilized in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, into a 20 µL acceptor phase (HCl) present inside the lumen of the fiber. Then, 15 µL of a 0.1 M NaOH solution was added to the acceptor phase and the mixture was analyzed using DPV.     

Voltammetric Determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) Ions in Well Water Using a Sputtered Bismuth Screen‐Printed Electrode

A method using commercially available sputtered bismuth screen‐printed electrodes (Bi_spSPE), as substitute to mercury electrodes, for the determination of trace Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions in drinking well water samples collected in a contaminated area in The Republic of El Salvador by means of differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) has been proposed. The comparable detection and quantification limits obtained for both Bi_spSPE and hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), together with the similar results with a high reproducibility obtained in these water samples analyses recommend the applicability of Bi_spSPE for the determination of low level of metal concentrations in natural samples.     

Surface Changes at Platinized Platinum Based Hydrogen Gas Electrodes Following Use in Highly Saline Aqueous Solutions

Platinized platinum based hydrogen gas electrodes, Pt(Pt)|H₂(g)|H⁺(aq), and silver‐silver chloride electrodes, Ag|AgCl|Cl^? (aq), make up the Harned cell, without transfer, working in the potentiometric mode at Cl^? concentrations and ionic strengths, I, below 0.1 mol kg^?1, for assigning primary pH values to reference pH buffer solutions. This work reports on experiments performed at higher I and Cl^? solutions up to 0.7 mol kg^?1, aiming at addressing seawater conditions with results of equally high quality. In the course of measurements, the occasional occurrence of highly unstable potentials denoted electrode malfunction; Pt metal surfaces observed by SEM/EDS and XRD exhibit strong Ag and Cl peaks corresponding to the presence of AgCl crystals deposited at both surfaces.     

A New Cells‐Compatible Microfluidic Device for Single Channel Recordings

We report the fabrication of a microfluidic apparatus and the realization of a sensors based on PEDOT : PSS, a biocompatible semiconductor polymer used in substitution of standard electrodes for electrophysiological studies and for detection of nanopores in membrane. This gives the possibility to study the mechanisms of ions balance and molecular transport though cell membranes. In particular the apparatus is based on two chambers connected through an aperture in a PTFE sheet where lipid bilayer are formed using Montal‐Mueller method, and the pore‐forming proteins activity is detected by polymeric electrodes. This methodology could be applied to examine different membrane proteins for the purpose of biosensing, drug screening and nanopore technologies.     

Analytical theory for ion transfer–electron transfer coupled reactions at redox layer–modified/thick film–modified electrodes

Electrodes modified by liquid films or plasticized polymeric membranes containing a redox species offer valuable alternatives for the study of ion transfers and bimolecular electron transfers at liquid–liquid interfaces with conventional electrode arrangements and stable interfaces. The ion-to-electron (or electron-to-electron) transducer affects the electrochemical signal, complicating the accurate analysis of experimental data. This can be reduced through the use of an electrode surface-attached redox species of well-defined electrochemical behaviour. As will be demonstrated, the voltammetry of these systems show significant deviations with respect to individual charge transfers, which must be considered for appropriate diagnosis and quantitative analysis. For this, a simple analytical theory is presented here, deducing mathematical expressions for the current–potential response, as well as for the potential difference at the two polarized interfaces, the surface excess of the redox species and the ion interfacial concentrations.     

pH electrodes based on iridium oxide films for marine monitoring

The pH is an important parameter that affects the growth and development of marine organisms, environmental changes, and industrial and agricultural production processes. Nowadays, important trends in pH detection and analysis are higher stability, adaptation to extreme environmental conditions, miniaturization, portability, and digital intelligence. Several studies have focused on the application of the iridium oxide film (IROF) pH electrodes in water quality monitoring and physiological analysis. The central aim of this work was to review the preparation techniques of the IROF pH electrodes and to expand their application in the field of marine monitoring. The studied methods include electrochemical deposition, electrochemical growth, sputtering deposition, heat treatment, and novel preparation methods. The IROF pH electrodes prepared via these methods are more sensitive, have a wider pH measurement ranges, and can be miniaturized further than traditional glass and pH photometer. Hence, in environmental analysis, combining IROF pH electrodes with wireless technology for the physiological and biochemical analysis of marine organisms, seawater, and sediment pore water is an important development tendency.     

CoMnO2-Decorated Polyimide-Based Carbon Fiber Electrodes for Wire-Type Asymmetric Supercapacitor Applications

In this work, we report the carbon fiber-based wire-type asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). The highly conductive carbon fibers were prepared by the carbonized and graphitized process using the polyimide (PI) as a carbon fiber precursor. To assemble the ASC device, the CoMnO₂-coated and Fe₂O₃-coated carbon fibers were used as the cathode and the anode materials, respectively. Herein, the nanostructured CoMnO₂ were directly deposited onto carbon fibers by a chemical oxidation route without high temperature treatment in presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an oxidizing agent. FE-SEM analysis confirmed that the CoMnO₂-coated carbon fiber electrode exhibited the porous hierarchical interconnected nanosheet structures, depending on the added amount of APS, and Fe₂O₃-coated carbon fiber electrode showed a uniform distribution of porous Fe₂O₃ nanorods over the surface of carbon fibers. The electrochemical properties of the CoMnO₂-coated carbon fiber with the concentration of 6 mmol APS presented the enhanced electrochemical activity, probably due to its porous morphologies and good conductivity. Further, to reduce the interfacial contact resistance as well as improve the adhesion between transition metal nanostructures and carbon fibers, the carbon fibers were pre-coated with the Ni layer as a seed layer using an electrochemical deposition method. The fabricated ASC device delivered a specific capacitance of 221 F g⁻¹ at 0.7 A g⁻¹ and good rate capability of 34.8% at 4.9 A g⁻¹. Moreover, the wire-type device displayed the superior energy density of 60.2 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 490 W kg⁻¹ and excellent capacitance retention of 95% up to 3000 charge/discharge cycles.     

Zinc–Organic Battery with a Wide Operation‐Temperature Window from −70 to 150 °C

Aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries have been considered as promising candidates for grid‐scale energy storage. However, their cycle stability is generally limited by the structure collapse of cathode materials and dendrite formation coupled with undesired hydrogen evolution on the Zn anode. Herein we propose a zinc–organic battery with a phenanthrenequinone macrocyclic trimer (PQ‐MCT) cathode, a zinc‐foil anode, and a non‐aqueous electrolyte of a N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) solution containing Zn²⁺. The non‐aqueous nature of the system and the formation of a Zn²⁺–DMF complex can efficiently eliminate undesired hydrogen evolution and dendrite growth on the Zn anode, respectively. Furthermore, the organic cathode can store Zn²⁺ ions through a reversible coordination reaction with fast kinetics. Therefore, this battery can be cycled 20 000 times with negligible capacity fading. Surprisingly, this battery can even be operated in a wide temperature range from ?70 to 150 °C.     

Thermodynamics,a suitable reporter in the design of mercury (II) ion selective electrodes

A fully functionalised calix[4]pyrrole derivative, namely, meso-tetramethyl-tetrakis[(diethylthiocarbamoyl)phenoxy] calix[4]-pyrrole, 1 has been synthesised and structurally characterised. Its complexing properties with metal cations in acetonitrile were investigated with particular emphasis on the thermodynamics of these systems. These data and those previously reported for a partially functionalised calix[4]arene based receptor, 5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl[25,27 bis(diethylthiocarbamoyl)oxy]calix[4]arene, 2 were used to, i) further corroborate their use to predict the selectivity coefficients of carrier mediated mercury (II) ion selective electrodes (ISEs) and ii) to obtain approximate stability constant data from selectivity coefficients. The optimum working conditions of both electrodes were determined. It is shown that while the ISE based on 1 is characterised by a wider linear range and a lower mercury (II) detection than the one based on 2, the latter has the advantage of lower interference of other metal cations due to the much lower stability constants of bivalent cations relative to Hg(II). The response characteristics of these electrodes are compared with those found in the literature. SEM micrographs along with EDX spectra of the PVC membranes containing ionophore 1 or 2 unloaded and loaded with Hg(II) are reported.