Patterning of Surfaces by Oxidation of Amine-Containing Compounds Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

The Interaction of Amines with Gold Nanoparticles

Understanding the interactions between amines and the surface of gold nanoparticles is important because of their role in the stabilization of the nanosystems, in the formation of the protein corona, and in the preparation of semisynthetic nanozymes. By using fluorescence spectroscopy, electrochemistry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and molecular simulation, a detailed picture of these interactions is obtained. Herein, it is shown that amines interact with surface Au(0) atoms of the nanoparticles with their lone electron pair with a strength linearly correlating with their basicity corrected for steric hindrance. The kinetics of binding depends on the position of the gold atoms (flat surfaces or edges) while the mode of binding involves a single Au(0) with nitrogen sitting on top of it. A small fraction of surface Au(I) atoms, still present, is reduced by the amines yielding a much stronger Au(0)-RN.+ (RN. , after the loss of a proton) interaction. In this case, the mode of binding involves two Au(0) atoms with a bridging nitrogen placed between them. Stable Au nanoparticles, as those required for robust semisynthetic nanozymes preparation, are better obtained when the protein is involved (at least in part) in the reduction of the gold ions.

A sensitive electrochemical impedance immunosensor for determination of malachite green and leucomalachite green in the aqueous environment

Application of malachite green (MG) and leucomalachite green (LMG) in fish farm water causes an environmental problem. This study proposes for the first time a sensitive and convenient electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method for determining MG and LMG by a bovine serum albumin-decorated gold nanocluster (BSA-AuNC)/antibody composite film-based immunosensor. In order to improve the analytical performance, the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with 1, 4-phenylenediamine to form a stable layer, and then, BSA-AuNCs were covalently bound to the GCE. An adequate quantity of the polyclonal antibody of LMG was immobilized onto the surface of the BSA-AuNCs by the chemical reaction of EDC/NHS. The sensors can respond to the specific target based on specific covalent bonding. The experimental parameters, such as the pH, incubating concentration, and time, have been investigated and optimized. The calibration curve for LMG was linear in the range of 0.1~10.0 ng/mL with the limit of detection (LOD) 0.03 ng/mL. Furthermore, the sum of MG and LMG was detected in fish farm water by MG reduction. The recovery was between 89.7 % and 99.2 % in spiked samples. The EC sensor method was also compared with the ELISA method and validated by the LC-MS/MS method, which proves its great promise as a field instrument for the rapid monitoring of MG and LMG pollution. Graphical abstract 1, 4-Phenylenediamine and BSA-AuNC/antibody-decorated glassy carbon electrodes have been used for the impedimetric detection of the sum of malachite green and leucomalachite green via specific immuno-binding.

Localized in situ generation of diazonium cations by electrocatalytic formation of a diazotization reagent

A new one-step electrochemical approach for the localized generation of diazonium cations in the diffusion layer of an electrode by taking advantage of the electrocatalytic properties of the electrode for the formation of the diazotization agent (nitrite) is proposed. Once nitrite anions are formed by electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate, they immediately react with an arylamine to produce the corresponding diazonium cations, which can be electrochemically readily reduced at the electrode surface. By this method, spontaneous modification of the electrode surface can be avoided. Furthermore, because the potential of the electrochemical nitrate reduction depends strongly on the nature of the electrode material, we also demonstrate that selective grafting can be achieved on a surface, which consists of two different materials: copper-gold or copper-glassy carbon substrates.

Synthesis and immobilization of Ag(0) nanoparticles on diazonium modified electrodes: SECM and cyclic voltammetry studies of the modified interfaces

A versatile method was used to prepare modified surfaces on which metallic silver nanoparticles are immobilized on an organic layer. The preparation method takes advantage, on one hand, of the activated reactivity of some alkyl halides with Ag-Pd alloys to produce metallic silver nanoparticles and, on the other hand, of the facile production of an anchoring polyphenyl acetate layer by the electrografting of substituted diazonium salts on carbon surfaces. Transport properties inside such modified layers were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in feedback mode, and conducting AFM imaging for characterizing the presence and nature of the conducting pathways. The modification of the blocking properties of the surface (or its conductivity) was found to vary to a large extent on the solvents used for surface examination (H(2)O, CH(2)Cl(2), and DMF).