Electrochemistry of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes (CNx) with Different Nitrogen Content and Its Application in Simultaneous Determination of Dihydroxybenzene Isomers

Multienzyme Mimicking Cascade Mn3O4 Catalyst to Augment Reactive Oxygen Species Elimination and Colorimetric Detection: A Study of Phase Variation upon Calcination Temperature

Over decades, nanozyme has served as a better replacement of bioenzymes and fulfills most of the shortcomings and intrinsic disadvantages of bioenzymes. Recently, manganese-based nanomaterials have been highly noticed for redox-modulated multienzyme mimicking activity and wide applications in biosensing and biomedical science. The redox-modulated multienzyme mimicking activity was highly in tune with their size, surface functionalization, and charge on the surface and phases. On the subject of calcination temperature to Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs), its phase has been transformed to Mn2O3 NPs and Mn5O8 NPs upon different calcination temperatures. Assigning precise structure-property connections is made easier by preparing the various manganese oxides in a single step. The present study has focused on the variation of multienzyme mimicking activity with different phases of Mn3O4 NPs, so that they can be equipped for multifunctional activity with greater potential. Herein, spherical Mn3O4 NPs have been synthesized via a one-step coprecipitation method, and other phases are obtained by direct calcination. The calcination temperature varies to 100, 200, 400, and 600 °C and the corresponding manganese oxide NPs are named M-100, M-200, M-400, and M-600, respectively. The phase transformation and crystalline structure are evaluated by powder X-ray diffraction and selected-area electron diffraction analysis. The different surface morphologies are easily navigated by Fourier transform infrared, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. Fortunately, for the mixed valence state of Mn3O4 NPs, all phases of manganese oxide NPs showed multienzyme mimicking activity including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, oxidase (OD), and peroxidase; therefore, it offers a synergistic antioxidant ability to overexpose reactive oxygen species. Mn3O4 NPs exhibited good SOD-like enzyme activity, which allowed it to effectively remove the active oxygen (O2•-) from cigarette smoke. A sensitive colorimetric sensor with a low detection limit and a promising linear range has been designed to detect two isomeric phenolic pollutants, hydroquinone (H2Q) and catechol (CA), by utilizing optimized OD activity. The current probe has outstanding sensitivity and selectivity as well as the ability to visually detect two isomers with the unaided eye.

An experimental and theoretical approach to electrochemical sensing of environmentally hazardous dihydroxy benzene isomers at polysorbate modified carbon paste electrode

It is well known that, surfactants provide a neutral, positive and/or negative charge on the electrode surface by forming a monolayer, which in turn affects the charge transfer and redox potential during the electroanalysis process. However, the molecular level understanding of these surfactant-modified electrodes is worth investigating because the interaction of the analyte with the electrode surface is still unclear. In this report, we used quantum chemical models based on computational density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the polysorbate 80 structure as well as the locations of energy levels and electron transfer sites. Later, the bare carbon paste electrode (bare/CPE) was modified with polysorbate 80 and used to resolve the overlapped oxidation signals of dihydroxy benzene isomers. The m/n values obtained at polysorbate/CPE was approximately equal to 1, signifying the transfer of same number of protons and electrons. Moreover, the analytical applicability of the modified electrode for the determination of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ) in tap water samples gave an acceptable recovery result. Overall, the application of DFT to understand the molecular level interaction of modifiers for sensing applications laid a new foundation for fabricating electrochemical sensors.

Heteroatom-Doped Metal-Free Carbon Nanomaterials as Potential Electrocatalysts

In recent years, heteroatom-incorporated specially structured metal-free carbon nanomaterials have drawn huge attention among researchers. In comparison to the undoped carbon nanomaterials, heteroatoms such as nitrogen-, sulphur-, boron-, phosphorous-, etc., incorporated nanomaterials have become well-accepted as potential electrocatalysts in water splitting, supercapacitors and dye-sensitized solar cells. This review puts special emphasis on the most popular synthetic strategies of heteroatom-doped and co-doped metal-free carbon nanomaterials, viz., chemical vapor deposition, pyrolysis, solvothermal process, etc., utilized in last two decades. These specially structured nanomaterials' extensive applications as potential electrocatalysts are taken into consideration in this article. Their comparative enhancement of electrocatalytic performance with incorporation of heteroatoms has also been discussed.

Simultaneous electrochemical sensing of dihydroxy benzene isomers at cost-effective allura red polymeric film modified glassy carbon electrode

Background

A simple and simultaneous electrochemical sensing platform was fabricated by electropolymerization of allura red on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the interference-free detection of dihydroxy benzene isomers.

Methods

The modified working electrode was characterized by electrochemical and field emission scanning electron microscopy methods. The modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the electrooxidation of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ) at physiological pH of 7.4 by cyclic voltammetric (CV) and differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) techniques.

Results

The effective split in the overlapped oxidation signal of CC and HQ was achieved in a binary mixture with peak to peak separation of 0.102 V and 0.103 V by CV and DPV techniques. The electrode kinetics was found to be adsorption-controlled. The oxidation potential directly depends on the pH of the buffer solution, and it witnessed the transfer of equal number of protons and electrons in the redox phenomenon.

Conclusions

The limit of detection (LOD) for CC and HQ was calculated to be 0.126 μM and 0.132 μM in the linear range of 0 to 80.0 μM and 0 to 110.0 μM, respectively, by ultra-sensitive DPV technique. The practical applicability of the proposed sensor was evaluated for tap water sample analysis, and good recovery rates were observed.

Graphical abstract

Electrocatalytic interaction of ALR/GCE with dihydroxy benzene isomers.

Poly (Adenine) Modified Graphene-Based Voltammetric Sensor for the Electrochemical Determination of Catechol, Hydroquinone and Resorcinol

Objective:

This paper presents the application of Poly (Adenine) Modified Graphene Paste Electrode (PAMGPE) for the analysis of Catechol (CC) with Resorcinol (RC) and Hydroquinone (HQ) by a voltammetric technique.

Methods:

Electropolymerization technique was utilized for the modification of the sensor surface. The electrode surface was characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) were used to study the redox behavior of CC, RC and HQ.

Results:

Oxidation peak current of CC increased linearly with the concentration of CC in the range from 2×10-6- 8×10-6 M and 1×10-5-1.5 ×10-4 M with a detection limit of 2.4×10-7 M. The practical application of the developed sensor was verified as exact for the determination of CC in water sample.

Conclusion:

The stability, repeatability, and reproducibility of the developed electrode were studied and established good characteristics. Furthermore, the PAMGPE was examined for the simultaneous determination of CC, RC and HQ.

Thermal transport in C3N nanotube: a comparative study with carbon nanotube

One-dimensional nanotubes, such as carbon nanotube (CNT) and C₃N nanotube (C₃NNT), are attracting growing research interest due to their excellent electrical and thermal properties. In this work, the thermal transport of a single-walled C₃NNT is investigated in comparison with a single-walled CNT using classical molecular dynamic simulations. We firstly observe that the thermal conductivity (k) of C₃NNT is lower than that of CNT. Due to the phonon scattering in the N atoms of C₃NNT, the energy is localized around the N atoms. Monotonic decreasing trends of k with increasing temperature are shown in CNT and C₃NNT, indicating strong Umklapp phonon scattering. Afterwards, uniaxial strains from -10% to 14% are applied to the nanotubes, and the thermal conductivity initially increases and then decreases. Phonon density of states, phonon dispersions, participation ratios, and spatial distribution of energy are used to analyze the phonon behaviors in nanotubes. This work provides fundamental thermo-physical knowledge to the thermal management of CNT and C₃NNT based nanoelectronics.

MOF/PAN nanofiber-derived N-doped porous carbon materials with excellent electrochemical activity for the simultaneous determination of catechol and hydroquinone

In this work, the obtained C-ZIF-67/PAN via one-step pyrolysis of hybrid ZIF-67/PAN nanofibers were used to fabricate electrochemical sensor for the determination of benzenediol isomer.

Recyclable Cu/C3N4 composite catalyzed AHA/A3 coupling reactions for the synthesis of propargylamines

The heterogeneous Cu/C3N4 catalyst was found to be efficient for the synthesis of propargylamines using a three-component coupling reaction of alkynes, CH2Cl2 and amines (AHA) without additional base. Moreover, the catalyst also showed highly catalytic activity in the synthesis of C1-alkynylated tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) via an A3 reaction of alkynes, aldehydes and THIQ. The Cu/C3N4-catalyzed multicomponent reactions exhibited good functional group tolerance in most examples. Furthermore, the easily prepared Cu/C3N4 catalyst could be recovered and reused conveniently over 5 times without losing catalytic activities.

Self-template synthesis of biomass-derived 3D hierarchical N-doped porous carbon for simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers

Nitrogen doped hierarchical porous carbon materials (HPCs) was achieved by the successful carbonization, using pig lung as biomass precursor. Three-dimensional HPCs constituted with sheets and lines were synergistically inherited from original pig lung. Such structure provided a large specific surface area (958.5 g-1 m2) and rich porous, effectively supported a large number of electro-active species, and greatly enhanced the mass and electron transfer. High graphitization degree of HPCs resulted in good electrical conductivity. Furthermore, the different electronegativity between nitrogen and carbon atoms in HPCs could affect the electron cloud distribution, polarity and then the electrochemical oxidation kinetics of dihydroxybenzene isomers. Based on these characteristics of HPCs, the electrochemical sensor for dihydroxybenzene isomers exhibited high sensitivity, excellent specificity and stability. Quantitative analysis assays by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technology showed that the sensor has wide linear ranges (0.5-320, 0.5-340 and 1-360 μmol L-1) and low detection limits (0.078, 0.057 and 0.371 μmol L-1) for the catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone, respectively. This proposed method was successfully applied for simultaneous detection of dihydroxybenzene isomers in river water.

Imidazolium Ionic Liquid Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes for Improved Interfacial Charge Transfer and Simultaneous Determination of Dihydroxybenzene Isomers

In this paper; an imidazolium ionic liquid (IL) is used to functionalize multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by covalent bonding on the MWNT surface. The functionalization not only provides a hydrophilic surface for ion accessibility but also prevents the aggregation of MWNTs. The IL-functionalized MWNTs were then applied for the electrochemical determination of the dihydroxybenzene isomers hydroquinone (HQ); catechol (CC); and resorcinol (RC), exhibiting excellent recognition ability towards the three compounds. The linear calibration ranges for HQ; CC and RC are 0.9-150 μM; 0.9-150 μM and 1.9-145 μM and the detection limits are found to be 0.15 μM for HQ; 0.10 μM for CC and 0.38 μM for RC based on S/N of 3. The proposed electrochemical sensor was also found to be useful for the determination of the dihydroxybenzene isomers in Yellow River water with reliable recovery.

Carbon nanotube catalysts: recent advances in synthesis, characterization and applications

Carbon nanotubes are promising materials for various applications.

A highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and bisphenol A based on the ultrafine Pd nanoparticle@TiO2 functionalized SiC

A titanium dioxide-silicon carbide nanohybrid (TiO2-SiC) with enhanced electrochemical performance was successfully prepared through a facile generic in situ growth strategy. Monodispersed ultrafine palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) with a uniform size of ∼2.3 nm were successfully obtained on the TiO2-SiC surface via a chemical reduction method. The Pd-loaded TiO2-SiC nanohybrid (Pd@TiO2-SiC) was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. A method for the simultaneous electrochemical determination of hydroquinone (HQ) and bisphenol A (BPA) using a Pd@TiO2-SiC nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode was established. Utilizing the favorable properties of Pd NPs, the Pd@TiO2-SiC nanohybrid-modified glassy carbon electrode exhibited electrochemical performance superior to those of TiO2-SiC and SiC. Differential pulse voltammetry was successfully used to simultaneously quantify HQ and BPA within the concentration range of 0.01-200 μM under optimal conditions. The detection limits (S/N=3) of the Pd@TiO2-SiC nanohybrid electrode for HQ and BPA were 5.5 and 4.3 nM, respectively. The selectivity of the electrochemical sensor was improved by introducing 10% ethanol to the buffer medium. The practical application of the modified electrode was demonstrated by the simultaneous detection of HQ and BPA in tap water and wastewater samples. The simple and straightforward strategy presented in this paper are important for the facile fabrication of ultrafine metal NPs@metal oxide-SiC hybrids with high electrochemical performance and catalytic activity.