Selective Etching of Sr-Modified and Directionally Solidified Industrial Al–Si Eutectic Alloys for Fabricating Fibrous Eutectic Si

In order to fabricate fibrous eutectic Si, the selective etching of industrial Al–Si eutectic alloys directionally solidified at different growth rates and modified by different amounts of Sr was studied. Flake eutectic and fibrous Si were obtained by selective etching of non-modified, Sr-modified or directionally solidified Al–Si eutectic alloys. The optimal amount of Sr for fabricating branching eutectic Si was 0.04–0.07%. Through directional solidification with a high enough growth rate (more than 200 μm/s), lamellar eutectic Si transforms to fibrous eutectic Si for use in non-modified Al–Si eutectic alloys. The potentiodynamic polarization and cyclic voltammetry methods were used to test the corrosion behavior of non-modified and Sr-modified Al–Si eutectic alloys. With a constant potential of 0.5 V in HCl solution, non-modified Al–Si eutectic alloys displayed initial pitting corrosion and subsequent spalling corrosion, and 0.04% Sr-modified samples displayed uniform pitting corrosion. Compared with non-modified Al–Si eutectic alloys, Sr-modified samples displayed better corrosion resistance with lower current density and shallower pit depth during the same etching conditions.

Facile Synthesis of 3D Printed Tailor-Shape Electrode PLA-GnP for Electrochemical Sensing

: Additive manufacturing (AM) has made enormous advancements in technology and materials development, and attention is required for the development of functionalized printed materials. AM can assist in manufacturing complex designed tailored-shaped electrodes efficiently for electrochemical sensing in the food industry. Herein, we used commercial fused deposition modeling (FDM) filament and polylactic acid (PLA) for FDM 3D printing of a self-designed electrode with minimal time and cost compared to commercial electrodes. Surface functionalization on the 3D printed PLA electrode was conducted using GnP to enhance the electrical conductivity. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the homogenized surface coating of GnP that provides electron flow behavior for the 3D printed electrode. The electrochemically functionalized 3D printed electrode was tested against standard 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) with known concentrations and characterized using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry methods. The results showed a basis for the promising application of detecting and quantifying 3-MCPD, a food contaminant known for its potential of being carcinogenic. The fabrication of functionalized 3D printed polymer electrodes paves the way for the development of complete 3D-printable electrochemical systems.

The Video Microscopy-Linked Electrochemical Cell: An Innovative Method to Improve Electrochemical Investigations of Biodegradable Metals

An innovative, miniature video-optical-electrochemical cell was developed and tested that allows for the conducting of electrochemical corrosion measurements and simultaneous microscopic observations over a small, well-defined surface area of corroding or degrading samples. The setup consisted of a miniature electrochemical cell that was clamped onto the metal sample and fixed under a video microscope before being filled with electrolyte. The miniature cell was comprised of afferent/efferent electrolyte ducts as well as a connection to the Mini Cell System (MCS) for electrochemical measurements. Consequently, all measured and induced currents and voltages referred to the same small area corroding completely within the field of view of the microscope, thus allowing for real-time observation and linking of surface phenomena such as hydrogen evolution and oxide deposition to electrochemical data. The experimental setup was tested on commercial purity (cp) and extra-high purity (XHP) magnesium (Mg) samples using open circuit potential and cyclic voltammetry methods under static and flowing conditions. The corrosion potential was shifted more anodically for cp Mg in comparison to XHP Mg under dynamic conditions. The corrosion current assessed from the cyclic voltametric curves were higher for the cp Mg in comparison to XHP Mg. However, there were no differences between static and flow conditions in the case of XHP Mg in contrast to cp Mg, where the current density was two times higher at dynamic conditions. The measurements and observations with this new method pave the way for a more detailed understanding of magnesium corrosion mechanisms, thus improving predictive power of electrochemical corrosion measurements on newly developed magnesium or other biodegradable alloys applied for medical devices. Different electrochemical tests can be run under various conditions, while being easy to set up and reproduce as well as being minimally destructive to the sample.

Fabrication of an Extremely Cheap Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Modified Pencil Lead Electrode for Effective Hydroquinone Sensing

Hydroquinone (HQ) is one of the major deleterious metabolites of benzene in the human body, which has been implicated to cause various human diseases. In order to fabricate a feasible sensor for the accurate detection of HQ, we attempted to electrochemically modify a piece of common 2B pencil lead (PL) with the conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) or PEDOT film to construct a PEDOT/PL electrode. We then examined the performance of PEDOT/PL in the detection of hydroquinone with different voltammetry methods. Our results have demonstrated that PEDOT film was able to dramatically enhance the electrochemical response of pencil lead electrode to hydroquinone and exhibited a good linear correlation between anodic peak current and the concentration of hydroquinone by either cyclic voltammetry or linear sweep voltammetry. The influences of PEDOT film thickness, sample pH, voltammetry scan rate, and possible chemical interferences on the measurement of hydroquinone have been discussed. The PEDOT film was further characterized by SEM with EDS and FTIR spectrum, as well as for stability with multiple measurements. Our results have demonstrated that the PEDOT modified PL electrode could be an attractive option to easily fabricate an economical sensor and provide an accurate and stable approach to monitoring various chemicals and biomolecules.

Sandwich ELISA-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for Leptin in Control and Diet-Induced Obesity Mouse Model

Leptin is a peptide hormone produced primarily in adipose tissues. Leptin is considered a biomarker associated with obesity and obesity-mediated diseases. Biosensor detection of leptin in the blood may play a critical role as an indicator of dynamic pathological changes. In this paper, we introduce an electrochemical biosensor that adopts o-Phenylenediamine (oPD) on screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGEs) for detecting the leptin from a mouse model of diet-induced obesity (DIO). A linear calibration curve for the leptin concentration was obtained in the ranges from 0.1 to 20 ng/mL with a lower detection limit of 0.033 ng/mL. The leptin concentration was quantified with HRP (horseradish peroxidase)-catalyzed oxidation of oPD by two voltammetry methods: cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV). The proposed sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based electrochemical biosensor for the leptin in mouse blood serum showed high stability, sensitivity, selectivity, and effectivity compared to the commercial Leptin ELISA measurement. Thus, we believe that this leptin biosensor can be a sensitive analytical tool to detect low-levels of biomarkers in clinics and point-of-care testing (POCT).

A Review of Voltammetric Methods for Determination of Dopamine Agonists

Background: Dopamine agonists are useful drugs for the management of patients with Parkinson's disease in the early stages and in later stages of the disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain. They bind to dopamine receptors in nerve cells that regulate body movement and motor function. Electroanalytical methods are used in medicinal, clinical and pharmaceutical research. The voltammetry is one of the most commonly used electroanalytical methods. The aims of this review are to gather and discuss studies of voltammetric methods used in determination of dopamine agonists. Method: This review includes the use of various voltammetric methods for determination studies of dopamine agonists from pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological samples. These studies were examined in terms of used voltammetric method or methods, working electrode, buffer, pH and validation parameters. Results: Cabergoline, pramipexole, ropinirole have more studies, while bromocriptine and apomorphine have fewer studies in the literature. Differential pulse voltammetry and square wave voltammetry methods were the most applied methods for determination of dopamine agonist drugs from pharmaceuticals and biological samples. But, stripping, cyclic and lineer sweep voltammetry methods are less applied methods. In this studies, a lot of modified electrodes were developed and used to analyse of dopamine agonists. Conclusion: The voltammetric methods supply determination of therapeutic agents and/or their metabolites in clinical samples at extremely low concentrations without the necessity for the sample pre-treatment or time consuming extraction steps. Also the modified electrodes and validated voltammetric methods provide good stability, repeatability, reproducibility and high recovery for the analysis of the analyte.

Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Sensor for the Detection of Chloramphenicol Based on Biomass Derived Porous Carbon

In this study, the method for detection of chloramphenicol was investigated by electrochemical sensor; the sensor was constructed by biomass derived porous carbon. At first, porous carbon doped with hetroatoms (nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus) was synthesized based on the use of pyrolysis and high temperature carbonization methods. Elaeagnusangustifolia L. gum was used as the carbon source in the facile template-free process. The biomass derived porous carbon was then used as the active electrode material for antibiotic sensing. The chemically modified electrodes properties were studied with the cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry methods. The effects of the scan rate, accumulation time and pH, were carefully considered. Comparison with other working electrodes at the optimized conditions indicated that the N, S, P triple doped porous carbon modified glassy carbon electrode appeared a well-defined reduction peak towards chloramphenicol. The linear concentration response of chloramphenicol ranged from 1 to 40 μM (R=0.9903) and 50 to 500 μM (R=0.9923), and a low detection limit of 0.01 μM (S/N=3). Furthermore, the constructed novel electrochemical sensor was used for detection of chloramphenicol in real samples and achieved satisfactory recovers.

α- and β-Substituted Metal-Free Phthalocyanines: Synthesis, Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties

Two novel phthalonitrile derivatives, bearing two hexyloxy groups and a benzodioxin (or a naphthodioxin) annulated ring, along with their corresponding metal-free phthalocyanines (H2Pc) were prepared. FT-IR, mass, electronic absorption, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopy were employed for the characterization of all compounds. The effect of hexadeca substituents on the photophysical properties of metal-free Pcs was investigated. Photophysical properties of H2Pc were studied in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Fluorescent quantum yields of phthalocyanines (Pcs) were calculated and compared with the unsubstituted phthalocyanine. 1,4-Benzoquinone effectively quenched the fluorescence of these compounds in THF. Cyclic and square wave voltammetry methods were applied to metal-free phthalocyanines and Pc-centered oxidation and reduction processes were obtained.

Voltammetric Behavior, Identifying and Quantitatively Determining Iron-Based Nanoparticles, and Evaluating Their Stability in Simulated Solutions of Gastric Juice

The electrochemical behavior of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, iron nanoparticles coated with carbon, and diazonium salts by voltammetry methods using a carbon paste electrode (CPE) has been studied. There has been developed a voltammetric method for identifying and quantifying solid-phase iron-based nanoparticles in the background electrolyte of 0.02 mole/dm3 Trilon B (pH 3.5) with the use of the CPE. Investigations of nanoparticles’ stability with various coatings in a simulated solution of gastric juice have been carried out. Nanoparticles stability has been evaluated on the basis of determining Fe(III) ions in a simulated solution after contacting with nanoparticles within different periods of time using the method of inversion voltammetry. It has been shown that nanoparticles coated with carbon and salts of arendiazonium are the most resistant to aggressive media.