Recent Advances in Electrochemical Sensors for Caffeine Determination.

The determination of target analytes at very low concentrations is important for various fields such as the pharmaceutical industry, environmental protection, and the food industry. Caffeine, as a natural alkaloid, is widely consumed in various beverages and medicines. Apart from the beneficial effects for which it is used, caffeine also has negative effects, and for these reasons it is very important to determine its concentration in different mediums. Among numerous analytical techniques, electrochemical methods with appropriate sensors occupy a special place since they are efficient, fast, and entail relatively easy preparation and measurements. Electrochemical sensors based on carbon materials are very common in this type of research because they are cost-effective, have a wide potential range, and possess relative electrochemical inertness and electrocatalytic activity in various redox reactions. Additionally, these types of sensors could be modified to improve their analytical performances. The data available in the literature on the development and modification of electrochemical sensors for the determination of caffeine are summarized and discussed in this review.

Corrosion Behavior of Titanium in Simulated Body Solutions with the Addition of Biomolecules.

Titanium is one of the most used biomaterials for different applications. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of adenine, thymine, and l-histidine as important biomolecules in the human body on the corrosion behavior of titanium in simulated body solutions. Open circuit measurements, potentiodynamic measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, and quantum chemical calculations were employed during the investigation. All electrochemical methods used revealed that the investigated biomolecules provide better corrosion resistance to titanium in artificial body solutions. The increase in corrosion resistance is a result of the formation of a stable protective film on the metal surface. Also, quantum chemical calculations are in compliance with electrochemical test results and indicate that adenine, thymine, and l-histidine may act as corrosion inhibitors in the investigated solutions.

Influence of 5-Chlorobenzotriazole on Inhibition of Copper Corrosion in Acid Rain Solution.

This paper aims to examine the efficiency of 5-chlorobenzotriazole (5Cl-BTA) as a copper corrosion inhibitor in acidic rain solutions with a pH value of 2.42 by the electrochemical polarization method. 5-Chlorobenzotriazole acts similar to a mixed type inhibitor, according to the potentiodynamic polarization measurements. Results obtained in this research suggest that 5Cl-BTA is a good inhibitor; it decreases anodic and cathodic reaction rates, and the highest inhibition efficiency was 91.2%. The inhibitory effect of 5-chlorobenzotriazole is explained by the formation of the layer on the copper surface. Stability of the protective layer increased with inhibitor concentration. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays analysis confirmed that on the electrode surface, a protective layer was formed. Adsorption of 5Cl-BTA obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. 5Cl-BTA showed good inhibitory characteristics even when the Cl- ions were present in examined solutions.