Development and application of a screen-printed electrode modified with MWCNT for the electrocatalytic detection of thiram

Interest in the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes has increased in recent years. These materials can be used in the development of electrochemical sensors for the measurement and monitoring of analytes of environmental interest, such as pharmaceuticals, dyes, and pesticides. This work describes the use of homemade screen-printed electrodes modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) for the electrochemical detection of the fungicide thiram. The electrochemical characteristics of the proposed system were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, with investigation of the electrochemical behavior of the sensor in the presence of the analyte, and estimation of electrochemical parameters including the diffusion coefficient, electron transfer coefficient (α), and number of electrons transferred in the catalytic electro-oxidation. The sensor response was optimized using amperometry. The best sensor performance was obtained in 0.1 mol L-1 phosphate buffer solution at pH 8.0, where a detection limit of 7.9 x 10-6 mol L-1 was achieved. Finally, in order to improve the sensitivity of the sensor, square wave voltammetry (SWV) was used for thiram quantification, instead of amperometry. Using SWV, a response range for thiram from 9.9 x 10-6 to 9.1 x 10-5 mol L-1 was obtained, with a sensitivity of 30948 µA mol L-1, and limits of detection and quantification of 1.6 x 10-6 and 5.4 x 10-6 mol L-1, respectively. The applicability of this efficient new alternative methodology for thiram detection was demonstrated using analyses of enriched soil samples.

Determination of sulfate in ethanol fuel using an electrode chemically modified with polypyrrole by flow injection analysis

In this work, an electrode chemically modified with polypyrrole (PCME) was employed for determination of sulfate in ethanol fuel using a FIA system. The PCME was prepared by polymerization of pyrrole at a glassy carbon electrode by means of cyclic voltammetry technique. An analytical curve from 1.0 x 10−5 to 8.0 x 10−5 mol L−1 was obtained in flow injection system based on the PCME. An amperometric sensibility of 2.3 x 10−3 A mol−1 L and a detection limit of 2.5 x 10−6 mol L−1 were achieved. The proposed method was employed for determination of sulfate ions in commercial samples of ethanol fuel. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by the ionic chromatographic method.

Voltammetric behaviour of a modified electrode with azide copper octa(3-aminopropyl)octasilsesquioxane composite in the oxidation of ascorbic acid

A novel nanostructured composite, azide copper octa (3-aminopropyl)octasilsesquioxane (ASCA) was incorporated into a graphite paste electrode and the electrochemical studies were conducted with cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammogram of the modified graphite paste electrode with ASCA (GPE-ASCA), showed one redox couple with formal potential (E  ) = 0.30 V and an irreversible process at 1.1 V (vs Ag/AgCl; NaCl 1.0 mol L-1 ; v = 20 mV s-1 ). The redox couple with (E  ) = 0.30V presents an electrocatalytic response for determination of ascorbic acid. The modified electrode gives a linear range from 1.010-4 – 1.010-3 mol L-1 (r = 0.998) for the determination of ascorbic acid with detection limit of 6.910-5 mol L-1 and standard deviation of 2.3% for n = 3 . The amperometric sensitivity was 122.1 mA/mol L-1 for ascorbic acid. The application this electrode was tested and ascorbic acid in three commercial pharmaceutical product (Cebion, Cewin and Redoxon) have been determined.

Towards the development of fiber lasers for the 2 to 4 nanom spectral region

A growing number of applications are calling for compact laser sources operating in the mid-infrared spectral region. A review of our recent work on monolithic fiber lasers (FL) based either on the use of rare-earth fluoride fibers or on Raman gain in both fluoride and chalcogenide glass fibers is presented. Accordingly, an erbium-doped double clad fluoride glass all-FL operating in the vicinity of 3 μm is shown. In addition, we present recent results on the first demonstrations of both fluoride and chalcogenide Raman fiber lasers operating at 2.23 and 3.34 μm, respectively. It is shown that based on this approach, monolithic FLs could be developed to cover the whole 2 to 4 μm spectral band.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a suspended-core As2S3 chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber

We demonstrate the supercontinuum (SC) generation in a suspended-core As2S3 chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber (MOF). The variation of SC is investigated by changing the fiber length, pump peak power and pump wavelength. In the case of long fibers (20 and 40 cm), the SC ranges are discontinuous and stop at the wavelengths shorter than 3500 nm, due to the absorption of fiber. In the case of short fibers (1.3 and 2.4 cm), the SC ranges are continuous and can extend to the wavelengths longer than 4 μm. The SC broadening is observed when the pump peak power increases from 0.24 to 1.32 kW at 2500 nm. The SC range increases with the pump wavelength changing from 2200 to 2600 nm, corresponding to the dispersion of As2S3 MOF from the normal to anomalous region. The SC generation is simulated by the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The simulation includes the SC difference between 1.3 and 2.4 cm long fiber by 2500 nm pumping, the variation of SC with pump peak power in 2.4 cm long fiber, and the variation of SC with pump wavelength in 1.3 cm long fiber. The simulation agrees well with the experiment.

Modeling of As2S3 raman fiber lasers operating in the mid-infrared

A numerical study of As2S3 Raman fiber lasers is carried out to show their potential for the entire coverage of the 3–4-m spectral band. Experimental results are first obtained from such a laser operated under controlled conditions in order to set the fiber parameters (i.e., gain and attenuation coefficients) to be used in the numerical model. An exhaustive numerical analysis is then performed to establish the conditions for optimum lasing performances over the entire 3–4-m spectral band.

Push-out bond strength of fiber posts to root dentin using glass ionomer and resin modified glass ionomer cements

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of the addition of wheat fiber and partial pork back fat on the chemical composition, texture and sensory property of low-fat bologna sausage containing inulin and oat fiber

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Dietary fiber as fat substitute in emulsified and cooked meat model system

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison of Different Dentin Pretreatment Protocols on the Bond Strength of Glass Fiber Post Using Self-etching Adhesive

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Covalent immobilization of laccase in green coconut fiber and use in clarification of apple juice

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Determination of uronic acids in sugarcane bagasse by anion-exchange chromatography using an electrode modified with copper nanoparticles

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Cotton yield and fiber quality affected by row spacing and shading at different growth stages

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A comparison of charge-transfer mechanisms at rotated disk electrode for biomimetic binuclear and tetranuclear oxo-manganese complex in aqueous solution

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Influence of Insertion Techniques for Resin Cement and Mechanical Cycling on the Bond Strength Between Fiber Posts and Root Dentin

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of the insertion technique for resin cement and mechanical cycling on the bond strength between fiber posts and root dentin.Materials and Methods: Sixty-four single-rooted bovine teeth were endodontically prepared to receive glass-fiber posts. The insertion of cement into the root canal was performed using one of the following techniques: POS, insertion with the post; LEN, the use of a lentulo-type drill; EXP, insertion with a straight-tip explorer; or CEN, the use of a Centrix syringe. Half of the specimens were mechanically cycled. All specimens were sectioned into slices of 1.8 mm for the push-out test and 0.5 mm for analysis of the cement layer quality.Results: The insertion technique affected the interaction between factors (bond strength and mechanical cycling; p < 0.0001). Insertion of the Centrix syringe after mechanical cycling showed the highest bond values (13.6 +/- 3.2 MPa). Group-to-group comparisons for baseline and cycled conditions indicated that mechanical cycling significantly influenced the bond strength (p < 0.0001) of the POS and CEN groups. The quality of the cement layer did not differ between the techniques when evaluated in the middle (p = 0.0612) and cervical (p = 0.1119) regions, but did differ in the apical region (p = 0.0097), where the CEN group had better layer quality for the two conditions tested (baseline and cycled).Conclusion: The use of the Centrix syringe improved the homogeneity of the cement layer, reducing the defects in the layer and increasing adhesive strength values to dentin, even after mechanical cycling.