Properties of a nanocomposite polymer electrolyte from an amorphous comb-branch polymer and nanoparticles

Three fully amorphous comb-branch polymers based on poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) as a backbone and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether of different molecular weights as side chains were synthesized. SiO2 nanoparticles of various contents and the salt LiCF3SO3 were added to these comb-branch polymers to obtain nanocomposite polymer electrolytes. The thermal and transport properties of the samples have been characterized. The maximum conductivity of 2.8x10(-4) S cm(-1) is obtained at 28 degreesC. In the system the longer side chain of the comb-branch polymer electrolyte increases in ionic conductivity after the addition of nanoparticles. To account for the role of the ceramic fillers in the nanocomposite polymer electrolyte, a model based on a fully amorphous comb-branch polymer matrix in enhancing transport properties of Li+ ions is proposed.

The modification of screen-printed carbon electrodes with amino group and its application to construct a H2O2 biosensor

Electrooxidation of thionine on screen-printed carbon electrode gives rise to the modification of the surface with amino groups for the covalent immobilization of enzymes such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The biosensor was constructed using multilayer enzymes which covalently immobilized onto the surface of amino groups modified screen-printed carbon electrode using glutaraldehyde as a bifunctional reagent. The multilayer assemble of HRP has been characterized with the cyclic voltammetry and the faradaic impedance spectroscopy. The H2O2 biosensor exhibited a fast response (2 s) and low detection limit (0.5 muM).

IrO2/SnO2 electrodes: prepared by sol-gel process and their electrocatalytic for pyrocatechol

IrO2/SnO2 (10%:90%, molar ratio) electrodes (ITEs) were prepared by the sol-gel method as an alternative to the electrode-position and thermal decomposition process. The electrodes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscope (AFM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). From the results of XRD, oxide films prepared at low temperature were in amorphous state, while hydrous IrO2 crystal and cassiterite phase SnO2 were formed at 300 degreesC or even to 500 degreesC. The highly porous structure was confirmed by AFM. The electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the sol-gel method made the ITEs having a fast electron transfer process with good stability and the optimal preparation temperature was 400 degreesC for the highest electroactivity. Furthermore, the electrocatalysis of pyrocatechol on the electrodes was investigated. A quasi-reversible process occurred and a linear range over three orders magnitude (1 x 10(-2) - 10 mM) was obtained by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Meanwhile the detection limit of pyrocatechol was 5 x 10(-3) mM. This study indicated that the sol-gel method was an appropriate route to prepare the IrO2/SnO2 electrodes for the electrocatalytic of pyrocatechol.

Immunosensors based on layer-by-layer self-assembled Au colloidal electrode for the electrochemical detection of antigen

Colloidal Au particles have been deposited on the gold electrode through layer-by-layer self-assembly using cysteamine as cross-linkers. Self-assembly of colloidal Au on the gold electrode resulted in ail easier attachment of antibody, larger electrode surface and ideal electrode behavior. The redox reactions of [Fe(CN)(6)]-/[Fe(CN)(6)](3-) on the gold surface were blocked due to antibody immobilization, which were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. The interaction of antigen with grafted antibody recognition layers was carried out by soaking the modified electrode into a phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 with various concentrations of antigen at 37degreesC for 30 min. Further, an amplification strategy to use biotin conjugated antibody was introduced for improving the sensitivity of impedance measurements. Thus, the sensor based oil this immobilization method exhibits a large linear dynamic range, from 5 - 400 mug/L for detection of Human IgG. The detection limit is about 0.5 mug/L.

Preparation and the investigation of its electrochemical and photoluminescent characteristics of organic-inorganic hybrid multilayers containing europium-substituted heteropolytung state

Photoluminescent multilayers were fabricated by layer-by-layer deposition between europium-substituted heteropolytungstate K-13 [Eu(SiW11O39)(2)].28H(2)O (denoted ESW) and a cationic polymer of quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine) partially complexed with osmium bis(2,2'-bipyridine) (denoted as QPVP-Os) on glassy carbon and quartz substrates. The resulting photoluminescent organic-inorganic hybrid multilayers were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry and photoluminescence spectra. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectrometry and cyclic voltammetry results demonstrated that the multilayers were regular growth each layer adsorption. The photoluminescent properties of the films at room temperature were investigated to show the characteristic Eu3+ emission pattern of D-5(0) --> (7) F-j.

Study on charge transfer reactions at multilayers of polyoxometalates clusters and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (Grotthuss-018)

Multilayers of anionic phosphotungstic acid (PTA) clusters and positively charged protonated poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) were assembled by layer-by-layer self-assembled method on Au electrode modified by 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA). The effect of the charge of the surface of the multilayer assembly on the kinetics of the charge transfer reaction was studied by using the redox probes [Fe(CN)(6)](3-)/(4-) [Ru(NH3)(6)](2+/3+). The cyclic voltammetry experiments showed that the peak currents and peak-to-peak potential differences changed after assembling different layers on the electrode surface indicating that the charge of the surface has a significant effect on the kinetics of the studied charge transfer reactions. These reactions were studied in more detail by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. When [Fe(CN)(6)](3-/-) was used as the redox label, multilayers that terminated with negatively charged PTA showed a high charge transfer resistance but multilayers that terminated with positively charged PAH showed lower charge transfer resistance. With [Ru(NH3)(6)](2+/3+) as the redox label, the charge transfer resistance at multilayers that terminated with positively charged PAH was much higher than at the multilayer terminated by the negatively charged PTA.

Preparation and layer-by-layer self-assembly of positively charged multiwall carbon nanotubes

The report described a method of more stably dispersing oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by forming complex with polycation and the layer-by-layer self-assembly behavior of the complex with polyanion was studied. The properties of the self-assembled multilayer film containing carbon nanotubes were studied. Cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used for characterization of film assembly. UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry study indicated the uniform growth of the film. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results showed that incorporating of carbon nanotubes in the polyelectrolyte multilayers; decreased in the electron-transfer resistance R, indicating more favorable electrochemical reaction interface. The electrocatalytic property of the multilayer modified electrode to NADH was investigated mainly with different numbers of the bilayers; and the results showed that along with the increase of the assembled bilayers the overpotential of NADH oxidation decreased. The detection lit-nit Could reach 6 mu M at a detection potential of 0.4 V.

Copper hexacyanoferrate multilayer films on glassy carbon electrode modified with 4-aminobenzoic acid in aqueous solution

4-Aminobenzoic acid (4-ABA) was covalently grafted on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by amine cation radical formation during the electrooxidation process in 0.1 M KCl aqueous Solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement proves the presence of 4-carboxylphenylamine on the GCE. Electron transfer processes of Fe(CN)(6)(3-) in solutions of various pHs at the modified electrode are studied by both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Changing the solution pH would result in the variation of the terminal group's charge state, based on which the surface pK(a) values were estimated. The copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) multilayer films were formed on 4-ABA/GCE prepared in aqueous solution, and which exhibit good electrochemical behavior with high stability.

Microstructure and electrochemical performance of Ti0.17Zr0.08V0.34Pd0.01Cr0.1Ni0.3 electrode alloy

The microstructure and electrochemical performance of Ti0.17Zr0.08V0.34Pd0.01Cr0.1Ni0.3 electrode alloy have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The alloy electrode has a higher discharge capacity than an AB(5) type alloy within a wider temperature span. The increase of the charge-transfer-resistances, and the dissolutions of V and Zr were responsible for the performance degradation of the alloy electrode.

Crystallographic and electrochemical properties of ball-milled quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 alloy with 20 mass% Ni

Icosahedral quasicrystalline Ti45Zr35Ni17Cu3 alloy powder was ball-milled with 20 mass% Ni, and the effect of the ball-milling time (t) on crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics were investigated. The amounts of icosahedral quasicrystalline and Ni phases decreased when ball-milling time increased from 30 to 180 min. The powder consisted of amorphous and (Ni and Ti) phases after 360 min of ball-milling. The maximum discharge capacity of the powder electrodes first increased from 89 (t = 0 min) to 192 mAh g(-1) (t = 180 min), and then decreased to 138 mAh g(-1) (t = 360 min). The high-rate dischargeability and the discharge capacity after 15 cycles increased with increasing ball-milling time.

Synthesis, structural and electrical characterizations of Sr2Fe1-xMxNbO6 (M = Zn and Cu) with double perovskite structure

Sr2Fe1-xZnxNbO6-x/2 (0 <= x <= 0.5) and Sr2Fe1-xCuxNbO6-x/2 (0.01 <= x <= 0.05) with the double perovskite structure have been synthesized. The crystal structures at room temperature were determined from Rietveld refinements of X-ray powder diffraction data. The plots of the imaginary parts of the impedance spectrum, Z '', and the electric modulus, M '', versus log (frequency), possess maxima for both curves separated by less than a half decade in frequency with associated capacities of 2 nF. The enhancement of the overall conductivity Of Sr2Fe1-xMxNbO6-x/2 (M = Cu and Zn) is observed, as increases from 2.48 (3) x 10(-4) S/cm for Sr2FeNbO6 to 3.82 (5) x 10(-3) S/cm for Sr2Fe0.8Zn0.2NbO5.9 at 673 K. Sr2Fe0.8Zn0.2NbO5.9 is chemically stable under the oxygen partial pressure from 1 atm to 10(-22) atm at 873 K. The p and n-type electronic conductions are dominant under oxidizing and reducing conditions, respectively, suggesting a small-polaron hopping mechanism of electronic conduction.

Study on structure and oxide ionic conductivity for new compound Ce(6-x)Ln(x)MoO(15-delta)

A new compound Ce(6-x)Ln(x)MoO(15-delta) has been synthesized by wet-chemistry method. Their crystal structure and oxide ionic conductivity were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Raman, IR spectrum and A.C. impedance technique. The XRD results showed that Ce6MO15-delta, Ce(5)LnMoO(15-delta) have cubic symmetry with Fm3m space group. The refined lattice parameters showed that their lattice constants decrease with the decrease of the ionic radius of Ln(3+). The electrochemical measurements showed that the ionic conductivity of resulting oxides Ce(6-x)Ln(x)MoO(15-delta) have an enhance, which may be a kind of promising material for SOFCs.

Electrochemical detection of DNA immobilized on gold colloid particles modified self-assembled monolayer electrode with silver nanoparticle label

The target DNA was immobilized successfully on gold colloid particles associated with a cysteamine monolayer on gold electrode surface. Self-assembly of colloidal An onto a cysteamine modified gold electrode can enlarge the electrode surface area and enhance greatly the amount of immobilized single stranded DNA (ssDNA). The electrontransfer processes of [Fe(CN)(6)](4)-/[Fe(CN)(6)](3-) on the gold surface were blocked due to the procedures of the target DNA immobilization, which was investigated by impedance spectroscopy. Then single stranded target DNA immobilized on the gold electrode hybridized with the silver nanoparticle-oligonucleotide DNA probe, followed by the release of the silver metal atoms anchored on the hybrids by oxidative metal dissolution, and the indirect determination of the released solubilized Ag-1 ions by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) at a carbon fiber microelectrode. The results show that this method has good correlation for DNA detection in the range of 10-800 pmol/1 and allows the detection level as low as 5 pmol/1 of the target oligonucleotides.

Electrochemical study of PW12O403- in poly(ethylene glycol) electrolyte

The electrochemical properties Of PW12O403- (abbreviated as PW12) anion in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) have been studied by cyclic voltammetry, complex impedance and FT-IR spectroscopy. The PW12 anion in PEG-LiClO4 electrolyte shows reasonable facile electrochemistry, and the diffusion coefficients Of PW12 were measured with microelectrode. It is shown that ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes based on low molecular weight PEG can be improved by the addition of PW12. The increase of conductivity is coupled with decrease of transient cross-links density of polymer chains which is evidenced by the downshift of C-O-C stretching mode. The phenomena are explained in view of ion-ion and ion-polymer interactions.

Electrochemical behavior of alpha-Keggin-type nanoparticles, Co(en)(3)(PMo12O40), in polyethylene glycol

The electrochemical behavior of alpha-Keggin-type nanoparticles, Co(en)(3)(PMo12O40) (abbreviated as PMo12-Co), have been studied in poly(ethylene glycol) for four different molecular weights (PEG, average MW 400, 600, 1000, and 2000 g mol(-1)) and containing LiClO4 (O/Li=100/1) supporting electrolyte. The diffusion coefficients of the PMo12-Co nanoparticles were determined using a microelectrode by chronoamperometry for PEG of different molecular weights that were used to describe the diffusion behavior of PMo12-Co nanoparticles in different phase states. Moreover, the conductivity of the composite system increases upon addition of PMo12-Co nanoparticles, which was measured by an a.c. impedance technique. FT-IR spectra and DSC were used to follow the interactions of PEG-LiClO4-PMo12-Co, and well described the reason that the PMo12-Co nanoparticles could promote the conductivity of the PEG-LiClO4-PMo12-Co system.