RESUMO
Photophoretic Au@MoS2 micromotors are used as smart mobile substrates for dynamic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensing. The photophoretic capabilities and swarming-like propulsion of the micromotors allow for their schooling and accumulation in the measuring spot, increasing the density of SERS-active gold nanoparticles for Raman mapping and, simultaneously, the preconcentration of the target analyte. The generation of "hot-microflake spots" directly in the Raman irradiation point results in a 15-18-fold enhancement in the detection of crystal violet without the requirement for additional external sources for propulsion. Moreover, the reproducible collective micromotor motion does not depend on the exact position of the laser spot concerning individual micromotors, which greatly simplifies the experimental setup, avoiding the requirements of sophisticated equipment. The strategy was further applied for the detection of malachite green and paraquat with a good signal enhancement. The new on-the-move-based SERS strategy holds great promise for on-site detection with portable instrumentation in a myriad of environmental monitoring and clinical applications.
RESUMO
The combination of instrumental techniques allows obtaining precise and reliable information about the reactions taking place at the electrode/solution interface. Although UV-Vis absorption spectroelectrochemistry (UV-Vis SEC) provides a molecular insight about the species involved in the electrode process, obtaining information about the redox state of the products generated in this process is not always accessible by this technique. In this sense, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) has a clear advantage, since it provides additional information on the oxidation state of the intermediates/products. Therefore, the combination of these two techniques facilitates obtaining a more complete picture of the electrochemical reaction studied from two different points of view, but under exactly the same experimental conditions. In this work, the combination of UV-Vis SEC in parallel configuration and SECM is carried out for the first time. This new technique allows distinguishing between those species that are electrochemically active and, at the same time, exhibit changes in the UV-Vis absorption spectra during the electrochemical reaction. The new experimental setup is first validated using ferrocenemethanol as a standard probe, concomitantly obtaining spectroscopic and electrochemical information that accurately describes the oxidation process. Finally, the strength of this combined technique is demonstrated by studying the antioxidant activity of o-vanillin (o-HVa) in the presence of electrogenerated superoxide. The information extracted from the new UV-Vis SEC/SECM technique makes it possible to identify, beyond any doubt, not only the origin of the electrochemical signals recorded in the SECM tip but also to evaluate the antioxidant effect of o-HVa at different concentrations.
RESUMO
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted great attention for its unique chemical and physical properties. The applications of this transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) range from supercapacitors to dye-sensitized solar cells, Li-ion batteries and catalysis. This work opens new routes toward the use of electrodeposition as an easy, scalable and cost-effective technique to perform the coupling of Si with molybdenum disulfide. MoS2 deposits were obtained on n-Si (100) electrodes by electrochemical deposition protocols working at room temperature and pressure, as opposed to the traditional vacuum-based techniques. The samples were characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS).
RESUMO
In order to improve catalytic processes, elucidation of reaction mechanisms is essential. Here, supported by a combination of experimental and computational results, the oxidation mechanism of formic acid on Pt(111) electrodes modified by the incorporation of bismuth adatoms is revealed. In the proposed model, formic acid is first physisorbed on bismuth and then deprotonated and chemisorbed in formate form, also on bismuth, from which configuration the C-H bond is cleaved, on a neighbor Pt site, yielding CO2. It was found computationally that the activation energy for the C-H bond cleavage step is negligible, which was also verified experimentally.
