Electrochemical synthesis of polyaniline nanoparticles

Polyaniline nanoparticles were prepared on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface from dilute polyaniline acidic solution (1 mM aniline + 1 M HClO4) using a pulsed potentiostatic method. Electrochemistry, Fourier transform infrared external reflection spectroscopy (FT-IR-ERS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM) were: used to characterize the composition and structure of the polyaniline nanoparticles. FT-IR-ERS and XPS results revealed that the polyaniline was in its emeraldine form. TMAFM measurement showed that the electropolymerized polyaniline nanoparticles dispersed on the:HOPG surface with a coverage of about 10(10) cm(-2). These nanoparticles were disk-shaped having a height of 10(-30) Angstrom and an apparent diameter varying from 200 to 600 Angstrom. The particle dimensions increased with the electropolymerization charge (Q) over the interval from 5.7 to 19.3 mu C cm(-2) (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of both the calibration constant in an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance and the active surface area of a polycrystalline gold electrode

A novel method is employed for the simultaneous determination of both the calibration constant of an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) and the active surface area of a polycrystalline gold electrode. A gold electrode: is immersed into a 1 mM KI/1 M H2SO4 solution and on which forms a neutral monolayer. The adsorbed iodine can then be completely oxidized into IO3-. The active surface area of a gold electrode can be obtained from the net electrolytic charge of the oxidation process, and the calibration constant in the EQCM can be calculated from the corresponding frequency shift. The result shows that this method is simple, convenient and valid. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of nanometer-sized electrodes and tips for scanning electrochemical microscopy

A novel method for fabrication of nanometer-sized electrodes and tips suitable for scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is reported. A fine etched Pt wire is coated with polyimide, which was produced by polymerization on the Pt surface initiated by heat. This method can prepare electrodes with effective radii varying from a few to hundreds of nanometers. Scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and SECM were used to characterize these electrodes. Well-defined steady-state voltammograms could be obtained in aqueous or in 1,2-dichloroethane solutions. Ibis method produced the nanoelectrodes with exposed Pit on the apex, and they can also be employed as the nanotips for SECM investigations. Different sizes of Pt nanotips made by this method were employed to evaluate the kinetics of the redox reaction of Ru(NH3)6(3+) on the surface of a large Pt electrode by SECM, and the standard rate constant kappa (o) of this system was calculated from the best fit of the SECM approach curve. This result is similar to the values obtained by analysis of the obtained voltammetric data.

Circular dichroism spectro electrochemical and voltammetric studies of vitamin B-2

Electroreduction of vitamin B-2 (VB2) was studied by in situ circular dichroism (CD) spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) with a long optical path length thin layer cell (LOPLTLC). The results showed that the electroreduction of VB2 in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (PH 6.8) was a two-electron electrochemical process with weak adsorption of the reactant at the glassy carbon (GC) electrode surface. The CD spectra change of VB2 in the reduction process was explained with the theory of electronic states. We also treated the CD spectra with a singular value decomposition least square (SVDLS) method, and have found not only the number of components and their spectra, but also the fraction distribution of each component in the electroreduction process of VB2.

A novel electrochemical SPR biosensor

In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time that upon electrochemical oxidation/reduction, the transition in the conductivity of polyaniline (PAn) film on gold electrode surface leads to a large change of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) response due to a change in the imaginary part of dielectric constant of PAn film. Based on the amplifying response of SPR to the redox transformation of PAn film as a direct result of the enzymatic reaction between horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and PAn in the presence of H2O2, a novel PAn-mediated HRP sensor has been fabricated. The electrochemical SPR biosensor, unlike a usual binding assay with SPR, can afford a larger SPR response, and can also be reused by reducing the PAn film electrochemically to its reduced state. This method opens up a new route to the fabrication of SPR biosensor. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical and spectroscopic study of vitamin D-2 by in situ thin layer CD spectroelectrochemistry

The electrooxidation of vitamin D-2 (VD2) was studied by cyclic voltammetry and in situ circular dichroic (CD) spectroelectrochemistry for the first time, The mechanism of electrooxidation and some useful kinetic and adsorption parameters were obtained. The results showed that the oxidation of VD2 in ethanol solution is an irreversible diffusion controlled process following a weak adsorption of the electroinactive product at a glassy carbon electrode, which blocks the electrochemical reaction. The electrooxidation occurs mainly at the triene moieties of the VD2 molecule. The CD spectroelectrochemical data were treated by the double logarithm method together with nonlinear regression, from which the formal potential E-0 = 1.08 V, alphan = 0.245, the standard electrochemical rate constant k(0) = 4.30( +/- 0.58) x 10(-4) cm s(-1) and the adsorption constant beta = 1.77(+/- 0.25) were obtained. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the model compounds at 4-aminobenzoic acid modified glassy carbon electrode by scanning electrochemical microscopy

In this paper, we studied the reactions of both potassium ferricyanide and hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride at a 4-aminobenzoic acid (4-ABA) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in different pH solutions. The surface of the modified electrode has carboxyl groups, the dissociation of which are strongly dependent upon the solution pH values. The rate constant kb of the oxidation of ferrocyanide on the modified electrode can be obtained by fitting the experimental tip current-distance (I-T-d) curves with the theoretical values. The surface pK(a) of the 4-ABA modified GCE was estimated from the plot of standard rate constant k(o) versus the solution pH and is equal to 3.2, which is in good agreement with the reported result. The SECM approach curves for Ru(NH3)(6)(3+) both on the bare and the modified electrodes show similar diffusion control processes. These results can be explained by the electrostatic interactions between the modified electrode surface and the model compounds with different charges. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.

The electrochemical behavior of soluble polyimides

The effect of organic solvents on the electrochemical behavior of the soluble polyimide(PI) was studied by using cyclic voltammetry. It was found that PI can undergo electrochemical reaction in some solvents, while the electrochemical response can not be observed in other solvents. The results of IR spectra indicate that the effect of the solvents on the electrochemical behavior of PI is due to the different interactions between PI and the solvent.

Electrochemical and in situ spectroelectrochemical behavior of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octakis(hexyl-thio) tetraazaporphyrin (H(2)OHTTAP) and (Zn(II)OHTTAP)

The characterization of free base porphyrin 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octakis(hexyl-thio) tetraazaporphyrin (H(2)OHTTAP) and its zinc(II) complexes [Zn(II)OHTTAP] containing eight thioether groups at the beta -pyrrole positions of the macrocycle was reported. Results obtained by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry indicated a five-electron reduction in five steps for each complex. They were oxidized in two single-electron-transfer steps to yield pi -cation radicals and dications and reduced in three single-electron-transfer steps to yield pi -anion radicals, dianions and trianions, respectively. The redox property of H(2)OHTTAP was unusual as compared to porphyrins (PPs) and phthalocyanines (Pcs). Each process was monitored by in situ thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry, which indicated that only the Ligand was electroactive. The existence of the eight hexylthio groups was responsible for the intrastack interactions and enhanced intracolumnar and intercolumnar electron motions, resulting in improved conductivity. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Electrochemical synthesis of Ag nanoparticles on functional carbon surfaces

In this paper, we present a new method of fabricating metal nanoparticles on carbon substrates through molecular design. Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements show that the electrochemically synthesized Ag nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed on the modified highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface with a narrow particle size distribution. Moreover, the size and number density of Ag nanoparticles on the grafted HOPG surface can be easily changed through control of the experimental conditions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Scanning electrochemical microscopy study of electron transfer across the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface induced by common ions

In this work, we report the reverse electron transfer reaction between TCNQ in 1, 2-dichloroethane (DCE) and ferrocyanide in water. This process is a thermodynamic unfavorable reaction and the reverse electron transfer reaction can only be obtained by scanning electrochemical microscopy(SECM) in the presence of suitable potential-determining ions, which govern the interfacial potential difference. In our case, the potential determining ions are tetrabutylammonium ion(TBA(+)) and tetraphenylarsonium ion (TPAs+). The effects of the concentrations of TBA(+) and TPAs+ in two phases and other parameters have been studied in detail. The apparent heterogeneous rate constants(k(i)) were obtained under different values of K-p(K-p=c(i)(w)/c(i)(o)) for both cases by fitting the SECM approach curves with theoretical ones and the results showed that they were controlled by the interfacial potential differences. The relationship between apparent heterogeneous rate constants and the interfacial potential differences obeys Butler-Volmer theory.

Characterization of multilayer film using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

A new multilayer film fabricated based on electrostatic attraction in this laboratory was firstly characterized by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The relationship between the charge-transfer resistance and double-layer capacitance with the number of layers was obtained through analyzing the impedance data. It demonstrated that the multilayer film showed a unique structure with the film growth. Compared to other electrochemical methods, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was proved to be a very sensitive and useful technique for characterizing the multilayer films.

Electrochemical behavior of heteropoly acid anions adsorbed in electrodes modified with mesoporous molecular sieve silica

Heteropoly acid H4SiW12O48 (denoted as SiW12) was assembled with the mesoporous materials MCM-41 modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) (denote MCM-41((m))). The electrochemical behavior of SiW12/MCM-41((m)) complexes-based electrode indicated SiW12 anion was adsorbed by MCM-41((m)). In MCM-41((m)) electrode, large voltammetric waves, showing that the electrostatic bound ions adsorbed in MCM-41((m)) were electrochemically active. The potential application as amperometric sensors for nitrite is anticipated.

Recent advances in scanning electrochemical microscopy

The basic principle, instrumentation and recent advances of scanning electrochemical microscopy are briefly reviewed with 55 references.