Development of a sensitive and selective Riboflavin sensor based on carbon ionic liquid electrode.

The electrochemical properties of Riboflavin adsorbed on carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) were studied by cyclic voltammetry. A film with a surface coverage of up to 3.3x10(-9) mol cm(-2) was formed after 10 min exposure time. Electron transfer coefficient and rate constant of electron transfer across the modified electrode were found to be 0.43 and 3.03 s(-1), respectively. Differential pulse voltammetry was used for the determination of Riboflavin. Two linear working ranges of 0.8-110 nM and 0.11-1.0 microM were obtained with correlation coefficients of 0.998 and 0.996, respectively. The experimental detection limit was obtained as 0.1 nM. The relative standard deviation for five replicate analyses was 4.7%. Other soluble vitamins had no significant interferences and the electrode was used for the determination of Riboflavin in pharmaceutical products, nutrition and beverages.

Fabrication of a selective mercury sensor based on the adsorption of cold vapor of mercury on carbon nanotubes: determination of mercury in industrial wastewater.

A new sensor for the determination of mercury at microg ml(-1) levels is proposed based on the adsorption of mercury vapor on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The changes in the impedance of SWCNTs were monitored upon adsorption of mercury vapor. The adsorption behaviour of mercury on SWCNTs was compared with that on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs). Cold vapor of mercury was generated at 65 degrees C using Sn(II) solution as a reducing agent. The limit of detection was 0.64 microg ml(-1) for Hg(II) species. The calibration curve for Hg(II) was linear from 1.0 to 30.0 microg ml(-1). The relative standard deviation (RSD) of eight replicate analyses of 15 microg ml(-1) of Hg(II) was 2.7%. The results showed no interfering effects from many foreign species and hydride forming elements. The system was successfully applied to the determination of the mercury content of different types of wastewater samples.

Simultaneous electrochemical determination of glutathione and glutathione disulfide at a nanoscale copper hydroxide composite carbon ionic liquid electrode.

Direct simultaneous electrochemical determination of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) has been presented using a nanoscale copper hydroxide carbon ionic liquid composite electrode. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the simultaneous determination of these two biologically important compounds based on their direct electrochemical oxidation. Incorporation of copper(II) hydroxide nanostructures in the composite electrode results in complexation of Cu(II) with the thiol group of GSH and leads to a significant decrease in GSH oxidation overpotential, while an anodic peak corresponding to the direct oxidation of GSSG as the product of GSH oxidation is observed at higher overvoltages. Low detection limits of 30 nM for GSH and 15 nM for GSSG were achieved based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The proposed method is free from interference of cysteine, homocysteine, ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA). No electrode surface fouling was observed during successive scans. Stability, high sensitivity, and low detection limits made the proposed electrode applicable for the analysis of biological fluids.

Carbon nanostructures as catalytic support for chemiluminescence of sulfur compounds in a molecular emission cavity analysis system.

The effect of different substrates including stainless steel, activated carbon, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), fullerenes (C60, C70, etc.) and SWCNTs doped with iron and palladium nanoparticles were compared for catalytic chemiluminescence reaction of sulfur compounds in a flame-containing cavity of molecular emission cavity analysis (MECA) system. Different forms of CNT substrates were fabricated using electric arc-discharge method. The blue emission of excited S2 was monitored using a CCD camera. The results demonstrate that, due to the high surface area, plenty of basal planes, high thermal conductivity, and high flexibility of the carbon nanostructure as appropriate support, carbon nanostructures play an important role in catalytic chemiluminescence emission of sulfur compounds in MECA. Moreover, the presence of metallic nanoparticles doped on carbon nanostructures enhances their catalytic effect. The results revealed that under similar conditions, SWCNTs/Pd doped nanoparticles, SWCNTs/Fe doped nanoparticles, SWCNTs, MWCNTs and fullerenes have the most catalytic effects on chemiluminescence of sulfur compounds, respectively.

Fabrication of a glucose sensor based on a novel nanocomposite electrode.

The direct electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline medium at nanoscale nickel hydroxide modified carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) has been investigated. Enzyme free electro-oxidation of glucose have greatly been enhanced at nanoscale Ni(OH)(2) as a result of electrocatalytic effect of Ni(+2)/Ni(+3) redox couple. The sensitivity to glucose was evaluated as 202 microA mM(-1)cm(-2). From 50 microM to 23 mM of glucose can be selectively measured using platelet-like Ni(OH)(2) nanoscale modified CILE with a detection limit of 6 microM (S/N=3). The nanoscale nickel hydroxide modified electrode is relatively insensitive to electroactive interfering species such as ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA) which are commonly found in blood samples. Long-term stability, high sensitivity and selectivity as well as good reproducibility and high resistivity towards electrode fouling resulted in an ideal inexpensive amperometric glucose biosensor applicable for complex matrices.

Highly efficient and stable palladium nanocatalysts supported on an ionic liquid-modified xerogel.

Incorporation of a phosphorylated ionic liquid as both a complexing and reducing agent for Pd(II) in a xerogel results in the formation of highly dispersed, uniformly sized Pd nanocatalysts, tightly supported on the surface of the silica and not embedded in the bulk of the xerogel.

Highly improved electrocatalytic behavior of sulfite at carbon ionic liquid electrode: application to the analysis of some real samples.

The electrocatalytic oxidation of sulfite was investigated at carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). This electrode is a very good alternative to previously described electrodes because the electrocatalytic effect is achieved without any electrode modification. Comparative experiments were carried out using carbon paste electrode (CPE) and glassy carbon electrode (GCE). At CILE, highly reproducible and well-defined cyclic voltammograms were obtained for sulfite with a peak potential of 0.55 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Sulfite oxidation at CILE does not result in deactivation of the electrode surface. The kinetic parameters for this irreversible heterogeneous electron transfer process were determined. Under optimal experimental conditions, the peak current response increased linearly with sulfite concentration over the range of 6-1000 microM. The detection limit of the method was 4 microM. The method was applied to the determination of sulfite in mineral water, grape juice and non-alcoholic beer samples.

Palladium nanoparticle decorated carbon ionic liquid electrode for highly efficient electrocatalytic oxidation and determination of hydrazine.

In this work arrays of palladium nanoparticles were synthesized on carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) (Pd/CILE), and the electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrazine was investigated using this electrode. Electrochemical oxidation of hydrazine in phosphate buffer (pH 7) was performed using cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetric techniques (SWV). Using the proposed electrode, a highly reproducible and well-defined peak was obtained for hydrazine at a very low potential of -0.02V versus Ag/AgCl. A linear dynamic range of 5-800 microM with an experimental detection limit of 0.82 microM was obtained. These results show that the proposed electrode displays better electrocatalytic activity compared to the previously reported palladium modified electrodes towards oxidation of hydrazine.

Highly stable electrochemical oxidation of phenolic compounds at carbon ionic liquid electrode.

A carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was used for the investigation of the electrochemical oxidation of phenolic compounds in acidic media using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and square wave voltammetry techniques. The results indicate that, contrary to many other electrodes, the oxidation of phenolic compounds on CILE is highly stable and does not result in electrode fouling. Cyclic voltammetry showed that phenolic compounds such as phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and catechol were oxidized at CILE and remained electroactive after multiple cycles and at high concentrations of phenol. The cyclic voltammetric response of the CILE is very stable with more than 99% of the initial activity remaining after 20 s of stirring of a 0.5 mM solution of phenol.

Simultaneous determination of dopamine, ascorbic acid, and uric acid using carbon ionic liquid electrode.

A recently constructed carbon composite electrode using room temperature ionic liquid as pasting binder was employed as a novel electrode for sensitive, simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA). The apparent reversibility and kinetics of the electrochemical reaction for DA, AA, and UA found were improved significantly compared to those obtained using a conventional carbon paste electrode. The results show that carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) reduces the overpotential of DA, AA, and UA oxidation, without showing any fouling effect due to the deposition of their oxidized products. In the case of DA, the oxidation and reduction peak potentials appear at 210 and 135mV (vs Ag/AgCl, KCl, 3.0M), respectively, and the CILE shows a significantly better reversibility for dopamine. The oxidation peak due to the oxidation of AA occurs at about 60mV. For UA, a sharp oxidation peak at 340mV and a small reduction peak at 250mV are obtained at CILE. Differential pulse voltammetry was used for the simultaneous determination of ternary mixtures of DA, AA, and UA. Relative standard deviation for DA, AA, and UA determinations were less than 3.0% and DA, AA, and UA can be determined in the ranges of 2.0x10(-6)-1.5x10(-3), 5.0x10(-5)-7.4x10(-3), and 2.0x10(-6)-2.2x10(-4)M, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of DA, AA, and UA in human blood serum and urine samples.

High-performance carbon composite electrode based on an ionic liquid as a binder.

Ionic liquid, n-octylpyridinum hexafluorophosphate (OPFP) has been used to fabricate a new carbon composite electrode with very attractive electrochemical behavior. This type of carbon electrode has been constructed using graphite mixed with OPFP as the binder. The electrode has combined advantages of edge plane characteristics of carbon nanotubes and edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes together with the low cost of carbon paste electrodes and robustness of metallic electrodes. It provides a remarkable increase in the rate of electron transfer of different organic and inorganic electroactive compounds and offers a marked decrease in the overvoltage for biomolecules such as NADH, dopamine, and ascorbic acid. It also circumvents NADH surface fouling effects as well as furnishing higher current density for a wide range of compounds tested. Depending on the choice of the electrolyte, the electrode can have the ion-exchange property and adsorptive characteristics of clay-modified electrodes. The proposed electrode thus allows sensitive, low-potential, simple, low-cost, and stable electrochemical sensing of biomolecules and other electroactive compounds. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate significant improvement in the microstructure of the proposed electrode compared to carbon paste electrodes. Such abilities promote new opportunities for a wide range of electrochemical and biosensing applications.