One-Step Fabrication of Stimuli-Responsive Chitosan-Platinum Brushes for Listeria monocytogenes Detection

Bacterial contamination in food-processing facilities is a critical issue that leads to outbreaks compromising the integrity of the food supply and public health. We developed a label-free and rapid electrochemical biosensor for Listeria monocytogenes detection using a new one-step simultaneous sonoelectrodeposition of platinum and chitosan (CHI/Pt) to create a biomimetic nanostructure that actuates under pH changes. The XPS analysis shows the effective co-deposition of chitosan and platinum on the electrode surface. This deposition was optimized to enhance the electroactive surface area by 11 times compared with a bare platinum–iridium electrode (p < 0.05). Electrochemical behavior during chitosan actuation (pH-stimulated osmotic swelling) was characterized with three different redox probes (positive, neutral, and negative charge) above and below the isoelectric point of chitosan. These results showed that using a negatively charged redox probe led to the highest electroactive surface area, corroborating previous studies of stimulus–response polymers on metal electrodes. Following this material characterization, CHI/Pt brushes were functionalized with aptamers selective for L. monocytogenes capture. These aptasensors were functional at concentrations up to 106 CFU/mL with no preconcentration nor extraneous reagent addition. Selectivity was assessed in the presence of other Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and with a food product (chicken broth). Actuation led to improved L. monocytogenes detection with a low limit of detection (33 CFU/10 mL in chicken broth). The aptasensor developed herein offers a simple fabrication procedure with only one-step deposition followed by functionalization and rapid L. monocytogenes detection, with 15 min bacteria capture and 2 min sensing.

Electrochemical nano-roughening of gold microstructured electrodes for the enhanced detection of copper and glucose

One of the main challenges for electrochemical sensor miniaturization is the fabrication of electrodes with a smaller footprint, while maintaining, or even increasing, their sensitivity for the targeted application. Our research group has previously demonstrated the enhancement of the electroactive surface area of gold electrodes up to 6-fold, relative to planar gold electrodes with the same footprint, through the generation of a wrinkled thin film surface via thermal shrinking. In this work, the electroactive surface area of wrinkled gold electrodes was further enhanced up to 5-fold (30-fold over flat electrodes) using a chronoamperometric pulsing technique. Scanning electron microscopy images showed progressive increase of surface roughness in response to an increasing number of applied pulses. The resulting nanoroughened electrodes present several advantages in addition to the enhanced electroactive surface area. These electrodes offer superior fouling resistance compared to that of wrinkled and flat electrodes when submerged in a solution containing bovine serum albumin at high concentrations. Cyclic voltammetry data also revealed greater sensitivity of nanoroughened electrodes toward anodic copper stripping, where the limit of quantification of copper by the nano-roughened electrodes was 0.3 ppm. Nano-roughened electrodes also allowed the highly sensitive enzyme-free detection of glucose through chronoamperometry, with a limit of detection of 0.5 mM, whereas planar electrodes did not demonstrate any ability to oxidize glucose. We foresee that this methodology to fabricate nanostructured electrodes will accelerate the development of simple, cost-effective and high sensitivity electrochemical platforms.

Electrochemical Studies of Pd-Based Anode Catalysts in Alkaline Medium for Direct Glycerol Fuel Cells

This study investigates the most effective electrocatalyst for glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) in alkaline medium for five synthesized electrocatalysts, Pd, PdNi, PdNiO, PdMn3O4 and PdMn3O4NiO, supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) prepared using the polyol method. The particle size and crystalline size of the electrocatalysts were determined using HR-TEM and XRD techniques, respectively, while EDS was used to determine the elemental composition. XRD showed crystalline sizes ranging from 3.4 to 10.1 nm, while HR-TEM revealed particle sizes within the range of 3.4 and 7.2 nm. The electroactivity, electron kinetics and stability of the electrocatalysts towards glycerol in alkaline medium was evaluated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry (CA), respectively, while the electroactive surface area (ECSA) of the electrocatalysts was determined using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The metal oxide-based Pd electrocatalysts PdNiO and PdMn3O4 were the most electrochemically active, while the addition of the second metal oxide to the Pd electrocatalyst PdMn3O4NiO did not show any improvement. This was associated with this electrocatalyst having the highest particle and crystalline sizes.

Synthesis of Hollow Pt-Ni Nanoboxes for Highly Efficient Methanol Oxidation

In direct methanol fuel cell technology, highly stable electrochemical catalysts are critically important for their practical utilization at the commercial scale. In this study, sub ~10 nm hollow Pt-Ni (1:1 at. ratio) nanoboxes supported on functionalized Vulcan carbon (Pt-Ni/C-R2) were synthesized through a facile method for the efficient electrooxidation of methanol. Two reaction procedures, namely, a simultaneous reduction and a modified sequential reduction method using a reverse microemulsion (RME) method, were adopted to synthesize solid Pt-Ni NPs and hollow nanoboxes, respectively. To correlate the alloy composition and surface structure with the enhanced catalytic activity, the results were compared with the nanocatalyst synthesized using a conventional NaBH4 reduction method. The calculated electroactive surface area for the Pt-Ni/C-R2 nanoboxes was 190.8 m2.g−1, which is significantly higher compared to that of the Pt-Ni nanocatalyst (96.4 m2.g−1) synthesized by a conventional reduction method. Hollow nanoboxes showed 34% and 44% increases in mass activity and rate of methanol oxidation reaction, respectively, compared to solid NPs. These results support the nanoreactor confinement effect of the hollow nanoboxes. The experimental results were supported by Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies, which revealed that the lowest CO poisoning of the Pt1Ni1 catalyst among all Ptm-Nin mixing ratios may account for the enhanced methanol oxidation. The synthesized hollow Pt-Ni/C (R2) nanoboxes may prove to be a valuable and highly efficient catalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of methanol due to their low cost, numerous catalytically active sites, low carbon monoxide poisoning, large electroactive surface area and long-term stability.

Simultaneous activity and surface area measurements on single mesoporous nanoparticle aggregates

The underpotential deposition of hydrogen and the hydrogen evolution reaction is studied at individual mesoporous nanoparticles. This work shows how the electroactive surface area and catalytic activity of these individual particles can be simultaneously measured.

Silver particle-loaded nickel oxide nanosheet arrays on nickel foam as advanced binder-free electrodes for aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors

Ag particle-loaded NiO nanosheet arrays promise rapid ion and electron transport, large electroactive surface area, and great structural stability.

Effects of electrochemical reaction and surface morphology on electroactive surface area of porous copper manufactured by Lost Carbonate Sintering

The electroactive surface area of porous copper is very sensitive to diffusion layer thickness due to the length scale effect.