A NEW TYPE OF ION-SELECTIVE ELECTRODE FOR NONAQUEOUS SOLUTION

A new type of ion-selective electrode-water membrane system is proposed and an assumption of water membrane is confirmed. A NdCl_3 water membrane electrode has be- en made te demonstrate its applicability to the determination of Nd (PMBP)_3 (PMBP=1- phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-5-pyrazolone)in cyclohexanone. Conditions for stabilizing potential of reference electrode in nonaqueous system are optimized. It is observed that the potential response on the surface of two immiscible solution is bidirection...

INVESTIGATION OF MICROSTRUCTURE AT IRON TETRAPHENYLPORPHYRIN MODIFIED CLASSY CARBON ELECTRODE BY XPS

Microstructure of the glassy carbon surface modified with iron tetraphenyfporphyrin (FeTPP) by heat treatment has been studied by XPS,, DTA and TG. XPS spectra of Fe 2P_3\2 level in FeTPP and iron tetraphenylporphyriu/glassy carbon (FeTPP/GC) have shown that a bond can be formed between the glassy carbon surface and both the central metal iron ion and the macrocyclic, ligand, which loses its four phenyl groups during the beat treatment. The relationship between the surface mierostructure of FeTPP/GC and the...

An electrochemical DNA sensor based on electrodepositing aluminum ion films on stearic acid-modified carbon paste electrode and its application for the detection of specific sequences related to bar gene and CP4 Epsps gene

An electrochemical DNA biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing DNA probe on aluminum ion films that were electrodeposited on the surface of the stearic acid-modified carbon paste electrode (CPE). DNA immobilization and hybridization were characterized with cyclic voltammetry (CV) by using methylene blue (MB) as indicator. MB has a couple of well-defined voltammetric redox peaks at the CPE. The currents of redox peaks of MB decreased after depositing aluminum ion films on the CPE (Al(III)/CPE) and increased dramatically after immobilizing DNA probe (ssDNA/Al(III)/CPE). Hybridization of DNA probe led to a marked decrease of the peak currents of MB, which can be used to detect the target single-stranded DNA. The conditions for the preparation of Al(III)/CPE, and DNA immobilization and hybridization were optimized. The specific sequences related to bar transgene in the transgenic corn and the PCR amplification of CP4 epsps gene from the sample of transgenic roundup ready soybean were detected by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with this new electrochemical DNA biosensor. The difference between the peak currents of MB at ssDNA/Al(III)/CPE and that at hybridization DNA modified electrode (dsDNA/Al(III)/CPE) was applied to determine the Specific sequence related to the target bar gene with the dynamic range comprised between 1.0 X 10(-7) mol/L to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol/L. A detection limit of 2.25 x.10(-8) mol/L. of oligonucleotides can be estimated.

Fabrication of Bismuth/Multi-walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for Determination of Cobalt

A bismuth/multi-walled carbon nanotube (Bi/MWNT) composite modified electrode for determination of cobalt by differential pulse adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry is described. The electrode is fabricated by potentiostatic pre-plating bismuth film on an MWNT modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. The Bi/MWNT composite modified electrode exhibits enhanced sensitivity for cobalt detection as compared with the bare GC, MWNT modified and bismuth film electrodes. Numerous key experimental parameters have been examined for optimum analytical performance of the proposed electrode. With an adsorptive accumulation of the Co(II)-dimethylglyoxime complex at -0.8 V for 200 s, the reduction peak current is proportional to the concentration of cobalt in the range of 4.0x10(-11)-1.0x10(-7) mol/L with a lower detection limit of 8.1x10(-11) mol/L. The proposed method has been applied Successfully to cobalt determination in seawater and lake water samples.

Ionophore Based Bismuth Film Electrode for Lead

A Nafion/ionophore, 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene-tetrakis(N,N-dimethylthioacetamide) composite coated and bismuth film modified glassy carbon electrode. (GC/NA-IONO/BiFE) was described to determine trace lead sensitively and selectively. The characteristics of such modified GC/NA-IONO/BiFE were studied by scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The influence of various experimental parameters upon the stripping lead signal at the GC/NA-IONO/BiFE was explored. Under the optimized conditions, the differential pulse voltammetric stripping response is highly linear over the 0.1-8.0 nM lead range examined (180s preconcentration at -1.2V), with a detection limit of 0.044nM and good precision (RSD=5.4% at 0.5nM). Also applicability to seawater samples was demonstrated at such modified electrode. The high selectivity of ionophore coupled with the excellent electrochemical characteristics of bismuth endow the GC/NA-IONO/BiFE a promising and robust tool for monitoring of trace lead rapidly and precisely.

Influence of electrode structure on the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) consisting of multi-layer electrodes provide higher performance than those with the traditional electrode. The new electrode structure includes a hydrophilic thin film and a traditional catalyst layer. A decal transfer method was used to apply the thin film to the Nafion(R) membrane. Results show that the performance of a cell with the hydrophilic thin film is obviously enhanced. A cell with the optimal thin film electrode structure operating at I M CH3OH, 2 atm oxygen and 90degreesC yields a current density of 100 mA/cm(2) at 0.53 V cell voltage. The peak power density is 120 mW/cm(2). The performance stability of a cell in a short-term life operation was also increased when the hydrophilic thin film was employed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrode catalysts behavior during direct ethanol fuel cell life-time test

In the present paper, a 60 h life-time test of a direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) at a current density of 20 mA cm(-2) (the beginning 38 h) and 40 mA cm(-2) (the last 22 h) was carried out. After the life-time test, the MEA could not achieve the former performance. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were employed to characterize the anode and cathode catalyst before and after the life-time test. The XRD and TEM results showed that the particle size of the anode catalyst increased from 2.3 to 3.3 nm and the cathode from 3.0 to 4.6 nm. The EDX results of PtSn/C anode catalysts before and after the life-time test indicated that the content of the oxygen and tin, especially the content of the platinum, decreased prominently after the life-time test. The results suggest that the agglomeration of electrocatalysts, the destruction of the anode catalyst together with the fuel/water crossover from anode to cathode concurrently contribute to the performance degradation of the DEFC. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct observation of Schottky to Ohmic transition in Al-diamond contacts using real-time photoelectron spectroscopy

Evans D A, Roberts O R, Vearey-Roberts A R, Langstaff D P, Twitchen D J and Schwitters M 2007 Direct observation of Schottky to ohmic transition in Al-diamond contacts using realtime photoelectron spectroscopy Appl. Phys. Lett. 91 132114 doi:10.1063/1.2790779

Continuous non-destructive monitoring of cell health using impedance based interdigitated electrode structured sensors

This article examines some preliminary tests which were performed in order to evaluate the best electrode configuration (width and spacing) for cell culture analyses. Biochips packaged with indium tin oxide (ITO) interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) were used to perform impedance measurements on A549 cells cultured on the surface of the biochip. Several tests were carried out using a 10 mM solution of Sodium Chloride (NaCl), cell medium and the cell culture itself to characterize some of the configurations already fabricated in the facilities at Tyndall National Institute.

Involvement of incipient hydrous oxide species in electrocatalysis at some metal electrode surfaces

In this thesis a novel theory of electrocatalysis at metal (especially noble metal)/solution interfaces was developed based on the assumption of metal adatom/incipient hydrous oxide cyclic redox transitions. Adatoms are considered as metastable, low coverage species that oxidise in-situ at potentials of often significantly cathodic to the regular metal/metal oxide transition. Because the adatom coverage is so low the electrochemical or spectroscopic response for oxidation is frequently overlooked; however, the product of such oxidation, referred to here as incipient hydrous oxide seems to be the important mediator in a wide variety of electrocatalytically demanding oxidation processes. Conversely, electrocatalytically demanding reductions apparently occur only at adatom sites at the metal/solution interface - such reactions generally occur only at potentials below, i.e. more cathodic than, the adatom/hydrous oxide transition. It was established that while silver in base oxidises in a regular manner (forming initially OHads species) at potentials above 1.0 V (RHE), there is a minor redox transition at much lower potentials, ca. o.35 v (RHE). The latter process is assumed to an adatom/hydrous oxide transition and the low coverage Ag(l) hydrous oxide (or hydroxide) species was shown to trigger or mediate the oxidation of aldehydes, e. g. HCHO. The results of a study of this system were shown to be in good agreement with a kinetic model based on the above assumptions; the similarity between this type of behaviour and enzyme-catalysed processes - both systems involve interfacial active sites - was pointed out. Similar behaviour was established for gold where both Au(l) and Au(lll) hydrous oxide mediators were shown to be the effective oxidants for different organic species. One of the most active electrocatalytic materials known at the present time is platinum. While the classical view of this high activity is based on the concept of activated chemisorption (and the important role of the latter is not discounted here) a vital role is attributed to the adatom/hydrous oxide transition. It was suggested that the well known intermediate (or anomalous) peak in the hydrogen region of the cyclic voltanmogram for platinum region is in fact due to an adatom/hydrous oxide transition. Using potential stepping procedures to minimise the effect of deactivating (COads) species, it was shown that the onset (anodic sweep) and termination (cathodic sweep) potential for the oxidation of a wide variety of organics coincided with the potential for the intermediate peak. The converse was also shown to apply; sluggish reduction reactions, that involve interaction with metal adatoms, occur at significant rates only in the region below the hydrous oxide/adatom transition.