Decomposition of vegetables for determination of Zn,Cd, Pb and Cu by stripping voltammetry

A simple and accurate digestion method using nitric acid, perchloric acid and hydrogen peroxide has been developed for use in trace analysis for heavy metals in vegetables by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The recovery of the metals from the samples is lower if the hydrogen peroxide is omitted from the digestion mixture. Standard reference materials have been analysed satisfactorily by this method.     

High temperature corrosion behaviour of M(Co,Ni)CrAIY-coatings on high temperature materials-microanalytical investigations

In our former investigations, the phenomenon high temperature corrosion (HTC) was described exemplarily on selected materialcoating combinations for blades of stationary gas turbines, mainly in the temperature region of up to 750° C. To answer the question, in which manner higher gas inlet and/or higher material surface temperature would influence the HTC behaviour, a special analytical technique—the integral layer profile analysis—was introduced to ameliorate concentration profile methods. By examining IN 738 LC specimens with CoCrAlY plasma spray coating, stressed by hot gas at 900° C, the limits of this system are shown by explaining the corrosion mechanism; the method is also used for other systems, e.g. U 520 with NiCrAlY coating at 750° C.     

Differential Pulse Polarographic Determination of Nitrate in AUT Solution

A differential pulse polarographic method for the determination of nitrate ion has been developed. With 0.5 M CaCl₂ as supporting electrolyte, NO^?₃ is reduced to give a peak with E_1/2=–1.836 Volt vs. the Ag/AgCl electrode. The differential pulse polarographic peak height is proportional to the nitrate concentration from 20 to 60 ppm. The detection limit for nitrate is 2 ppm in pure aqueous solution. In the determination of 40 ppm nitrate a relative precision (relative standard deviation) of less than 2% was achieved. Nitrite interferes seriously and should be absent if accurate results are required. The method has been applied to the determination of nitrate in Ammonium Uranyl Tricarbonate (AUT) Solution, results obtained by this method are compared to those obtained by ion chromatography. The agreement between the two sets of results suggests that the DPP method can be used with a fair degree of confidence.     

Light-induced Photoswitching of 4-(Phenylazo)benzoic Acid on Au(111)

Photochromic molecules can undergo a reversible conversion between two isomeric forms upon exposure to external stimuli such as electromagnetic radiation. A significant physical transformation accompanying the photoisomerization process defines them as photoswitches, with potential applications in various molecular electronic devices. As such, a detailed understanding of the photoisomerization process on surfaces and the influence of the local chemical environment on switching efficiency is essential. Herein, we use scanning tunneling microscopy to observe the photoisomerization of 4-(phenylazo)benzoic acid (PABA) assembled on Au(111) in kinetically constrained metastable states guided by pulse deposition. Photoswitching is observed at low molecular density and is absent in tight-packed islands. Furthermore, switching events were noted in PABA molecules coadsorbed in a host octanethiol monolayer, suggesting an influence of the surrounding chemical environment on photoswitching efficiency.     

Electrochemical Detection of Artemisinin Using Cobalt Sulphide/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite

Solvothermally synthesized cobalt sulphide/reduced graphene oxide (CoS/rGO) was used to fabricate an electrochemical sensor for detection of artemisinin. Microscopic techniques were used to characterize CoS/rGO nanocomposite. The electrochemical sensor was fabricated by modifying the surface of glassy carbon electrode with CoS/rGO nanocomposite. [Fe(CN)6]^3−/4− was used as a mediator to aid oxidation of artemisinin. Differential pulse voltammetric technique was used for the detection of artemisinin. A linear range of 30–100 μM was used. Experimentally, a detection limit of 0.5 μM was obtained. Therefore, the developed sensor can be used for quality control of artemisinin.     

电化学传感分析平台测定污水中的Cr(VI)

结合微型电化学仪器,研究了一种快速、便携、灵敏的Cr(VI)电化学传感分析平台,用于污水中Cr(VI)的检测。采用三电极体系,差分脉冲阴极溶出伏安法(DPCSV),记录伏安曲线中Cr(VI)的还原峰。Cr(VI)的溶出峰电流与其浓度在2～500 μmol L-1范围内有良好的线性关系,测得Cr(VI)的检测限为0.55 μmol L-1 (28.60 g L-1),达到了国际卫生组织（WHO）规定的饮用水中Cr(VI)的最高含量50 g L-1。测得镀铬厂废水中Cr(VI)含量为2.03 mol L-1,与国标法中光谱学分析法的结果基本一致。该法重现性好、灵敏度高,使其应用在现场实时监测环境中的Cr(VI)具有很大的潜力。     

氮掺杂纳米管包覆金属钴催化苯甲醇和苯胺一步N-烷基化反应

通过直接热解三聚氰胺、硝酸钴和葡萄糖混合物制备氮掺杂碳纳米管包覆金属钴催化剂(Co@NCNT).Co@NCNT具有较大的比表面积、均匀的氮分布以及包覆结构.在苯甲醇和苯胺一步法N-烷基化反应中Co@N CNT具有较高的催化活性,且循环4次反应活性没有明显的变化.控制实验和中毒实验表明金属Co和N对催化活性起着重要的作用,同时金属Co是中间产物N-苄叉苯胺加氢的主要活性位.     

Development of a New Label‐free,Indicator‐free Strategy toward Ultrasensitive Electrochemical DNA Biosensing Based on Fe3O4 Nanoparticles/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite

Electrochemistry offers sensitivity, selectivity and low cost for fabrication of sensors capable of detection of selected DNA targets or mutated genes associated with human disease. In this work, we have developed a novel label‐free, indicator‐free strategy of electrochemical DNA sensor based on Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide (Fe₃O₄/r‐GO) nanocomposite modified electrode. By using Fe₃O₄/r‐GO nanocomposite as a substrate to immobilize probe DNA and subsequent hybridization with target sequence to form dsDNA, a great signal amplification was achieved through measuring changes in DPV peak current of underlying Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox system. With the remarkable attomolar sensitivity and high specificity and at the same time, great simplicity, the proposed strategy may find great applications in different DNA assay fields.     

Poly(Methyl Red) Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes: Electrosynthesis,Characterization, and Sensor Behavior

Poly(methyl red), PMR, was electropolymerized on glassy carbon electrodes by potential cycling in 50 mM phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0 and 8.0 and Britton Robinson buffer solution in the pH range 7.0‐11.0. The electrochemical behavior of PMR modified electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry in Britton Robinson buffer solution at different pHs from 5.0 to 10.0 and found that the best PMR film formation was obtained at pH 9.0. Uric acid was quantitatively determined at PMR modified electrodes by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry in Britton Robinson buffer at pH 5.0. Both methods presented a linear dependence between the anodic peak current and the concentration of uric acid in the range of 0.4 to 60 μM and 0.08 to 100 μM with the limits of detection of 0.038 and 0.009 μM for cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, respectively. Poly(methyl red) as redox mediator allowed the determination of uric acid without any interferences from the substances in serum samples.