The role of bromine adlayer at palladium electrode in the electrochemical oxidation of dopamine in alkaline solution

A palladium electrode modified with bromine monolayer was fabricated throughout a spontaneous oxidative chemisorption of bromide ions contained in an alkaline solution. The surface coverage and the apparent double layer capacitance induced by the adsorption of bromide ions under the present applied potential indicates the formation of incomplete monolayer due to a prominent co-adsorption of hydroxyl ions (OH⁻). The film modified electrode exhibited a substantial reactivity and high sensitivity in the electrochemical oxidation of dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA). This trend was attributed to the structure and the composition of the bromine adlayer which renders a partial negative charge capable of attracting selectively the cationic DA and repelling anionic AA and UA. The peak currents of DA in the binary and ternary mixtures were well-separated, well-defined and increased linearly with respect to its concentration. The interference property expected by the presence of both AA and UA has been advantageously eliminated at the bromine-adlayer modified electrode. The apparent diffusion coefficient value of DA was 1.37 × 10⁻⁸ m² s⁻¹, based on an amperometric current–time study. The present system provides a simple and fundamental approach for the simultaneous and selective determination of DA in the presence of AA and UA.     

Sensitive electrochemical detection of hydroquinone with carbon ionogel electrode based on BMIMPF6

An ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF₆) based carbon ionogel electrode (CIE) was fabricated for the sensitive voltammetric sensing of hydroquinone (HQ) in this paper. Due to the specific characteristics of the prepared working electrode, HQ exhibited an enhanced electrochemical response on CIE with a pair of well-defined redox peaks appeared in pH 2.5 phosphate buffer solution. The electrochemical behaviors of HQ on CIE were investigated by different electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry with the electrochemical parameters calculated. Under the optimal conditions the oxidation peak currents exhibited good linear relationship with the HQ concentration in the range from 0.13 to 100.0 μmol L⁻¹ with the detection limit of 0.07 μmol L⁻¹ (3σ). The CIE showed separated electrochemical response to HQ and catechol in the mixture solution. The proposed method was successfully applied to HQ detection in artificial wastewater with the recovery in the range from 98.9% to 102.0%.     

A differential pulse voltammetric method for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid,dopamine, and uric acid using poly (3-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenylazo)-4,5-dihydroxynaphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid) film modified glassy carbon electrode

A stable modified glassy carbon electrode based on the poly 3-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenylazo)-4,5-dihydroxynaphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid (CDDA) film was prepared by electrochemical polymerization technique to investigate its electrochemical behavior by cyclic voltammetry. The properties of the electrodeposited films, during preparation under different conditions, and their stability were examined. The homogeneous rate constant, k_s, for the electron transfer between CDDA and glassy carbon electrode was calculated as 5.25(±0.20) × 10² cm s⁻¹. The modified electrode showed electrocatalytic activity toward ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA) oxidation in a buffer solution (pH 4.0) with a diminution of their overpotential of about 0.12, 0.35, and 0.50 V for AA, DA, and UA, respectively. An increase could also be observed in their peak currents. The modified glassy carbon electrode was applied to the electrocatalytic oxidation of DA, AA, and UA, which resolved the overlapping of the anodic peaks of DA, AA, and UA into three well-defined voltammetric peaks in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). This modified electrode was quite effective not only for detecting DA, AA, and UA, but also for simultaneous determination of these species in a mixture. The separation of the oxidation peak potentials for ascorbic acid–dopamine and dopamine–uric acid were about 0.16 V and 0.17 V, respectively. The final DPV peaks potential of AA, DA and UA were 0.28, 0.44, and 0.61 V, respectively. The calibration curves for DA, AA, and UA were linear for a wide range of concentrations of each species including 5.0–240 μmol L⁻¹ AA, 5.0–280 μmol L⁻¹ DA, and 0.1–18.0 μmol L⁻¹ UA. Detection limits of 1.43 μmol L⁻¹ AA, 0.29 μmol L⁻¹ DA and 0.016 μmol L⁻¹ UA were observed at pH 4. Interference studies showed that the modified electrode exhibits excellent selectivity toward AA, DA, and UA.     

Electrochemistry of magnolol and interaction with DNA

The electrochemical behaviors of magnolol have been studied at glassy carbon electrode using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and chronocoulometry. Moreover, its interaction with DNA was investigated in solution by electrochemical methods and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The experiment results indicated that the electrochemical oxidation of magnolol was an irreversible process with one proton and one electron transfer. The electron transfer coefficient (α) was calculated to be 0.441 ± 0.001. At the scan rate from 100 mV/s to 450 mV/s, the electrode process was controlled by the adsorption step and at the range of 600–950 mV/s the electrochemical oxidation was diffusion controlled process. The corresponding electrochemical rate constant (k_s) was 0.0760 ± 0.0001 s⁻¹. Through chronocoulometry experiment, the diffusion coefficient (D) and the surface concentration (Γ) were obtained as (3.76 ± 0.01) × 10⁻⁷ cm²/s and (2.98 ± 0.01) × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/cm². In addition, the interaction of magnolol and DNA was ascribed to be electrostatic interaction and the calculated association constant (β) and Hill coefficient (m) were 1.14 × 10⁵ M⁻¹ and 0.973. At last a sensitive and convenient electrochemical method was proposed for the determination of magnolol.     

Electrodeposited indigotetrasulfonate film onto glutaraldehyde-cross-linked poly-l-lysine modified glassy carbon electrode for detection of dissolved oxygen

The nano composited film of indigotetrasulfonate (ITS) electrodeposited onto poly-l-lysine (PLL)–glutaraldehyde (GA) (ITS/PLL–GA) was modified on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by multiple scan cyclic voltammetry. Composited of the proposed film was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and UV–vis spectrum for the absorption at λ_max at 566 nm. For the electrocatalytic reduction of dissolved oxygen, ITS/PLL–GA film modified electrodes was determined in 0.1 M acetate buffer solution (pH 5.6) by cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode voltammetry. This dissolved oxygen electrochemical sensor exhibited a linear response range (from 0 to 178.4 μM, R² = 0.9949), lowest detection limit (2.2 μM), lowest overpotential at −0.09 V, high sensitivity (906 μA mM⁻¹) and relative standard deviation (RSD) for determining dissolved oxygen (n = 3) was 4.2%. In addition, the ITS/PLL–GA/GCE was advantageous in terms of its simple preparation, specificity, stability and the ability of regeneration.     

Fabrication of functionalized carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode and its application for selective oxidation and voltammetric determination of cysteamine

The functionalized carbon nanotube electrode was fabricated by electrodeposition of 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonic acid sodium (Nq) on single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). This electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the results showed that Nq can rapidly and effectively be deposited on the surface of SWNT film with high stability. The electrochemical properties of functionalized SWNT/GCE with Nq (SWNT–Nq/GCE) were studied using cyclic voltammetry, double step potential chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry methods. The results indicated that SWNT could improve the electrochemical behavior of Nq and greatly enhances its redox peak currents. The SWNT–Nq/GCE exhibited a pair of well-defined redox peaks. The experimental results also demonstrated that the Nq deposited species on SWNT could catalyze cysteamine oxidation and SWNT–Nq exhibited a high performance with lowering the overpotential by more than 710 mV. The effect of pH value, number of scans and Nq concentration were investigated on the electrochemical behavior of cysteamine. The selectivity of the reaction has been assessed with no interference from tyrosine, lysine, methionine, tryptophan, alanine and glutathione. The presented method has highly selectivity for voltammetric detection of cysteamine in the dynamic range from 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ M to 2.7 × 10⁻⁴ M and with a detection of limit (3σ) 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ M.     

Simultaneous determination of adenine and guanine utilizing PbO2-carbon nanotubes-ionic liquid composite film modified glassy carbon electrode

A novel and reliable electrochemical sensor based on PbO₂-carbon nanotubes-room temperature ionic liquid (i.e., 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, BMIMPF6) composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) (PbO₂–MWNT–RTIL/GCE) was proposed for simultaneous and individual determination of guanine and adenine. The guanine and adenine oxidation responses were monitored by differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) measurement. Compared with the bare electrode, the PbO₂–MWNT–RTIL/GCE not only significantly enhanced the oxidation peak currents of guanine and adenine, but also lowered their oxidation overpotentials, suggesting that the synergistic effect of PbO₂, MWNT and RTIL could dramatically improve the determining sensitivity of guanine and adenine. The PbO₂–MWNT–RTIL/GCE showed good stability, high accumulation efficiency and enhanced electrocatalytic ability for the detection of guanine and adenine. Besides, the modified electrode also exhibited good behaviors in the simultaneous detection of adenine and guanine with the peak separation of 0.29 V in 0.1 M pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit for individual determination of guanine and adenine was 6.0 × 10⁻⁹ M and 3.0 × 10⁻⁸ M (S/N = 3), respectively. The proposed method for the measurements of guanine and adenine in herring sperm DNA was successfully applied with satisfactory results.     

Electrochemical behaviors of dimethyl ether on platinum single crystal electrodes. Part II: Pt(1 0 0)

The electrochemical behaviors of dimethyl ether (CH₃–O–CH₃, DME), which is a promising fuel for the fuel cell, on Pt(1 0 0) electrode in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution have been investigated in detail by electrochemical and in situ infrared (IR) measurements. As the potential is swept from 0.05 V (vs. RHE) to positive direction at 50 mV s⁻¹, the dehydrogenation peak of DME is observed around 0.33 V to generate a reaction intermediate and is further converted to carbon monoxide (CO) in more positive potential region. The main peak for DME bulk oxidation locates around 0.80 and 0.72 V in the positive- and negative-going potential sweep, respectively. The positions of these peaks strongly depend on the scan rate. The in situ IR observations show that (CH₃OCH₂–)_ad is an intermediate for the first dehydrogenation step of DME on Pt(1 0 0) surface and can serve as a precursor of the subsequent intermediate of adsorbed CO (CO_ad). Cyclic voltammograms of Pt high index single crystal planes Pt(hkl) show that the direct oxidation of DME is suppressed by decreasing the (1 0 0) terrace width. Based on these results, a possible reaction mechanism for DME electro-oxidation on the platinum single crystal electrode surface is proposed.     

Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide effect on highly electrocatalysis of methanol oxidation based on nickel particles electrodeposited into poly (m-toluidine) film on the carbon paste electrode

In this work, m-toluidine is electropolymerized at the surface of carbon paste electrode using consecutive cyclic voltammetry in 20 mM monomer aqueous solution in the presence of 6 mM cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant. Then transition metal of nickel is incorporated into the polymer by electrodepositing of Ni (II) from 1.5 M NiSO₄ acidic solution using chronoamperometry technique (−1.0 V versus Ag|AgCl|KCl (3 M) for 15 min). In alkaline medium (i.e. NaOH 0.1 M) a good redox behavior of Ni (III)/Ni (II) couple at the surface of Ni/poly (m-toluidine) modified carbon paste electrode (Ni/PMT/MCPE) in the absence and presence of CTAB (Ni/CTAB-PMT/MCPE) can be observed. Electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol has been studied on Ni/PMT/MCPE and Ni/CTAB-PMT/MCPE. The results show that CTAB significantly enhances the catalytic efficiency of nickel particles on the oxidation of methanol in aqueous alkaline media. Moreover, the effects of various parameters such as concentration of CTAB, concentration of methanol, electrodepositing time, film thickness and monomer concentration on the electrooxidation of methanol as well as long-term stability of the Ni/CTAB-PMT/MCPE have also been investigated. This polymeric modified electrode can oxidize the methanol with high current density (over 40 mA cm⁻²).     

Electrochemical impedimetry of electrodeposited poly(propylene imine) dendrimer monolayer

Voltammetric and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) studies of generation one poly(propylene imine) (G1 PPI) dendrimer as an electroactive and catalytic nanomaterials both in solution and as an electrode modifier based on a simple one step electrodeposition method is presented. The G1 PPI exhibited a reversible one electron redox behaviour at E^0′ ca 210 mV in phosphate buffer pH 7.2 with diffusion coefficient and Warburg coefficient of 7.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm² s⁻¹ and 8.87 × 10⁻⁴ Ω s^−1/2 respectively. Cyclic voltammetric electrodeposition of a monolayer of G1 PPI on glassy carbon electrode was carried out between −100 mV and 1100 mV for 10 cycles. The nanoelectrode was electroactive in PBS at E^0′ ca 220 mV. Kinetic profiles such as time constant (4.64 × 10⁻⁵ s rad⁻¹), exchange current (1.55 × 10⁻⁴ A) and heterogeneous rate constant (4.52 × 10⁻³ cm s⁻¹) obtained from EIS showed that the dendrimer layer catalysed the redox reaction of Fe^2+/3+ in [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− redox probe.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of some amino acids on a cobalt hydroxide nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode

In this study we investigated the electrocatalytic oxidation of cysteine, cystine, N-acetyl cysteine, and methionine on cobalt hydroxide nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode in alkaline solution. Different electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and steady-state polarization were used to track the oxidation process and its kinetics. From voltammetric studies we concluded that in the presence of amino acids the anodic peak current of Co(IV) species increased, followed by a decrease in the corresponding cathodic current peak. This indicates that amino acids were oxidized on the redox mediator which was immobilized on the electrode surface via an electrocatalytic mechanism. Using Laviron’s equation, the values of α_s and k_s for the immobilized redox species were determined as α_s,a = 0.63, α_s,c = 0.38 and k_s = 0.28 s⁻¹, respectively. The catalytic rate constants, the electron transfer coefficients and the diffusion coefficients involved in the electrocatalytic oxidation of amino acids were determined.     

Application of ionic liquid–dsDNA biocomposite film for the direct electrochemistry of myglobin on carbon ionic liquid electrode

An ionic liquid (IL) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) composite material was used to investigate the direct electron transfer of myglobin (Mb) on carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). The presence of the IL–dsDNA biocomposite film on the electrode surface provided great improvement to the direct electron transfer rate of Mb with the CILE, which was due to the synergistic contributions of specific characteristics of dsDNA, IL and their interaction. The electrochemical parameters of Mb in the IL–dsDNA composite film modified electrode were carefully investigated with the charge transfer coefficient (α) and the electron transfer rate constant (k_s) calculated as 0.42 and 0.84 s⁻¹, respectively. The fabricated Mb modified electrode exhibited good electrocatalytic ability to the reduction of trichloroacetic acid and H₂O₂, which showed the potential applications in the third-generation electrochemical biosensor.     

Voltammetric sensor based on ordered mesoporous carbon for folic acid determination

With ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) as the modifier, a voltammetric sensor for folic acid (FA) was constructed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Due to the good characteristics of OMC, FA exhibited an enhanced electrochemical response and lower reduction potential in the neutral solution. In addition, the experimental parameters such as pH values, accumulation time and potential were optimized. Using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurement, the peak current was found to be linear with FA concentration in the range from 5.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ M with a lower detection limit of 6.0 × 10⁻¹¹ M (S/N = 3). Also, in real samples analysis, the as-prepared sensor successfully gives satisfying results.     

Direct electrochemistry of cholesterol oxidase on MWCNTs

The direct electrochemistry of cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) was achieved on the surface of graphite electrode by immobilizing positively charged ChOx and negatively charged multi walled carbon nanotubes through electrostatic interaction using layer-by-layer technique. Two sets of well defined redox peaks were observed in cyclic voltammogram of the modified graphite electrode in phosphate buffer solution of pH 7. These peaks are corresponding to direct electron transfer of FAD/FADH₂ of ChOx and carboxylic groups of multi walled nanotubes. The modified electrode is characterized using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. ChOx modified electrode was used for the determination of cholesterol. The reduction current of oxygen at the modified electrode decreases linearly with the addition of cholesterol in the concentration range of 0.2–1 mM with the lower detection limit of 30 × 10⁻⁶ M. Some common interferents like glucose, ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetaminophen did not cause any interference due to the use of a low operating potential.     

Electrochemical generation of H2O2 using immobilized carbon nanotubes on graphite electrode fed with air: Investigation of operational parameters

Three cathode materials (i.e. bare graphite, activated carbon immobilized onto graphite surface (AC/graphite) and carbon nanotubes immobilized onto graphite surface (CNTs/graphite)) were investigated for electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide. The amount of electrogenerated H₂O₂ using CNTs/graphite fed with air was nearly three times higher than that of AC/graphite and seven times higher than that of bare graphite. The effect of some operational parameters such as applied current, supporting electrolyte concentration, air flow rate and pH on the generation of H₂O₂ was investigated. Results indicated that the optimal conditions for H₂O₂ generation were applied current of 100 mA (2.5 mA/cm²), air flow rate of 2.5 L/min, and pH = 3. After eight times reuse, electrochemical generated hydrogen peroxide concentration dropped from 118.65 μM to 114.63 μM, indicating a decay of 3.6%. This fact indicates that the present system can be useful for the in situ electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide.     

Application of surfactant modified zeolite membrane electrode towards potentiometric determination of perchlorate

Potentiometric electrodes based on the incorporation of surfactant-modified zeolite Y (SMZ) particles into poly vinyl chloride (PVC) membranes were described. The electrode characteristics were evaluated regarding the response towards perchlorate ions. PVC membranes plasticized with dioctyl phthalate and without lipophilic additives (co-exchanger) are used throughout this study. The influence of membrane composition on the electrode response was studied. The electrode exhibited a Nernstian response towards perchlorate in the concentration range of 7.9 × 10⁻⁶–8.0 × 10⁻² M with a slope of 59.7 ± 0.9 mV per decade of perchlorate concentration with a working pH range of 1.7–9.5 with a fast response time of ≤10 s. The lower and upper detection limits were 4.07 × 10⁻⁷ and 0.13 M, respectively. The electrode response to perchlorate remains constant in the temperature range of 20–40 °C and in the presence of 2.5 × 10⁻⁶–1 × 10⁻² M NaNO₃. The selectivity coefficients for perchlorate anion as test species with respect to other anions were determined. The proposed modified zeolite-PVC electrode can be used for at least 30 days without any considerable divergence in potential. It was applied as indicator electrode in water samples with satisfactory results. The results of this study and our previous work show HDTMA plays different roles according to the zeolite type and matrix, as HDTMA-zeolite Y in a carbon paste matrix showed a good Nernstian behavior towards phosphate anion.     

Electrochemical layer-by-layer modified imprinted sensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and sol–gel materials for sensitive determination of thymidine

A novel electrochemical sol–gel imprinted sensor for sensitive and convenient determination of thymidine was developed. Thin film of molecularly imprinted sol–gel polymers with specific binding sites for thymidine was cast on carbon electrode by electrochemical deposition. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were introduced for the enhancement of electronic transmission and sensitivity. The morphology and performance of the imprinted film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometric measurements (i–t) in detail. The results showed that the imprinted film exhibited high selectivity toward thymidine. The linear range is over the range from 2 to 22 μmol L⁻¹, and the linear regression equation for thymidine is I = 0.867C + 0.232 with the detection limit of 1.6 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹(S/N = 3). The imprinted sensor was successfully employed to detect thymidine in some zidovudine-tablet samples.     

Kinetics of oxygen reduction on gold nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotube hybrid electrodes in acid media

In this paper, the electrochemical reduction of oxygen has been studied on gold nanoparticle/multi-walled carbon nanotube (AuNP/MWCNT) modified glassy carbon (GC) electrodes in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) method. The AuNP/MWCNT catalysts were prepared by chemical deposition of AuNPs onto MWCNTs spontaneously grafted with 4-nitrophenyl groups. The composite electrode was characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The oxygen reduction behaviour of these electrodes was compared with that of a bulk gold electrode. The AuNP/MWCNT catalyst showed a pronounced electrocatalytic activity towards O₂ reduction in acid media. The half-wave potential of O₂ reduction on the AuNP/MWCNT catalyst shifted ca 80 mV to more positive potentials as compared to that of a polished Au electrode. The kinetic parameters of oxygen reduction were determined and the specific activity of the hybrid electrode was slightly higher than that of the bulk Au electrode.     

Simultaneous determination of epinephrine and uric acid at a gold electrode modified by a 2-(2,3-dihydroxy phenyl)-1, 3-dithiane self-assembled monolayer

In the present paper, the use of a gold electrode modified by 2-(2,3-dihydroxy phenyl)-1,3-dithiane self-assembled monolayer (DPDSAM) for the determination of epinephrine (EP) and uric acid (UA) was described. Initially, cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the redox properties of this modified electrode at various scan rates. The apparent charge transfer rate constant, k_s, and transfer coefficient, α, were calculated. Next, the mediated oxidation of EP at the modified electrode was described. At the optimum pH of 8.0, the oxidation of EP occurs at a potential about 155 mV less positive than that of an unmodified gold electrode. The values of electron transfer coefficients (α = 0.356), catalytic rate constant (k = 1.624 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ s⁻¹) and diffusion coefficient (D = 1.04 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹) were calculated for EP, using electrochemical approaches. Based on differential pulse voltammetry, the oxidation of EP exhibited a dynamic range between 0.7 and 500.0 μM and a detection limit (3σ) of 0.51 μM. Furthermore, simultaneous determination of EP and UA at the modified electrode was described. Finally, this method was used for the determination of EP in EP ampoule.     

Low overpotential reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia in aqueous media

The molecular nitrogen fixation to ammonia is one of the most important processes in chemistry. In this connection, our aim was to realize an electrochemical reaction under extremely mild conditions in an aqueous media for the first time. The reduction of dinitrogen was achieved on a polypyrrole electrode in aqueous 0.1 M Li₂SO₄/0.03 M H⁺ solution at 60 bar N₂-pressure. The reaction product was only ammonia and the ammonia formation efficiency depends strongly on the applied pressure, temperature, electrode potential, supporting electrolyte, film thickness of polymer electrode, as well as on the amount of proton source added to the electrolyte medium. The maximum yield of NH₃ was 53 μM obtained at −0.165 V_NHE after 5 h of electrolysis.