Polythiophenes and polythiophene-based composites in amperometric sensing

3-Methyl Thiophene-Modified Boron-Doped Diamond (BDD) Electrodes as Efficient Catalysts for Phenol Detection-A Case Study for the Detection of Gallic Acid in Three Specific Tea Types

Polymer modification has been established as a cost-effective, simple, in situ method for overcoming some of the inherent disadvantages of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes, and its application has been extended to reliable, low-cost environmental monitoring solutions. The present review focuses on modifying BDD electrodes with semi-conductive polymers acting as redox mediators. This article reports on the development of a 3-methyl thiophene-modified boron-doped diamond (BDD/P3MT) sensor for the electrochemical determination of total phenolic compounds (TPCs) in tea samples, using gallic acid (GA) as a marker. GA is a significant polyphenol with various biological activities, making its quantification crucial. Thus, a simple, fast, and sensitive GA sensor was fabricated using the electroanalytical square wave voltammetry (SWV) technique. The sensor utilizes a semi-conductive polymer, 3-methyl thiophene, as a redox mediator to enhance BDD's sensitivity and selectivity. Electrochemical synthesis was used for polymer deposition, allowing for greater purity and avoiding solubility problems. The BDD/P3MT sensor exhibits good electrochemical properties, including rapid charge transfer and a large electrochemical area, enabling GA detection with a limit of detection of 11 mg/L. The sensor's response was correlated with TPCs measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Square wave voltammetry (SWV) showed a good linear relationship between peak currents and GA concentrations in a wide linear range of 3-71 mg/L under optimal conditions. The BDD/P3MT sensor accurately measured TPCs in green tea, rooibos tea, and black tea samples, with green tea exhibiting the highest TPC levels. The results demonstrate the potential of the modified BDD electrode for the rapid and accurate detection of phenolic compounds in tea, with implications for quality control and antioxidant activity assessments. The prolific publications of the past decade have established BDD electrodes as robust BDD sensors for quantifying polyphenols. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, plant-derived beverages such as tea and wine, traditional Eastern remedies and various herbal nutritional supplements contain phenolic chemicals. The safety concerns of contaminated food intake are significant health concerns worldwide, as there exists a critical nexus between food safety, nutrition, and food security. It has been well established that green tea polyphenol consumption promotes positive health effects. Despite their potential benefits, consuming high amounts of these polyphenols has sparked debate due to concerns over potential negative consequences.

Sensitive and selective electrochemical aptasensing method for the voltammetric determination of dopamine based on AuNPs/PEDOT-ERGO nanocomposites

In this study, the effects of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and graphene oxide (GO) as supporting electrolytes and dopants on the electropolymerization process of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were investigated. It was found that the PEDOT-ERGO nanocomposites obtained by a simple one-step electrochemical redox polymerization method using GO as the only supporting electrolyte and dopant possess excellent electrochemical properties. Then, the PEDOT-ERGO nanocomposites were used as electrode substrate to further modify with AuNPs, and an electrochemical aptasensor based on AuNPs/PEDOT-ERGO nanocomposites was successfully constructed for the sensitive and selective determination of dopamine (DA). Comparison of the cyclic voltammetric response of different neurotransmitters before and after aptamer assembly showed that the aptamer significantly improved the selectivity of the sensor for DA. The low detection limit of 1.0 μM (S/N = 3) indicated the good electrochemical performance of the PEDOT-ERGO nanocomposite film. Moreover, the aptasensor showed good recoveries in 50-fold diluted fetal bovine serum with RSD values all less than 5 % (n = 5), indicating that the PEDOT-ERGO nanocomposites and the electrochemical aptasensor have promising applications in other neurochemicals assay and biomedical analysis.

Flexible Sensors Based on Conductive Polymers

Conductive polymers have attracted wide attention since their discovery due to their unique properties such as good electrical conductivity, thermal and chemical stability, and low cost. With different possibilities of preparation and deposition on surfaces, they present unique and tunable structures. Because of the ease of incorporating different elements to form composite materials, conductive polymers have been widely used in a plethora of applications. Their inherent mechanical tolerance limit makes them ideal for flexible devices, such as electrodes for batteries, artificial muscles, organic electronics, and sensors. As the demand for the next generation of (wearable) personal and flexible sensing devices is increasing, this review aims to discuss and summarize the recent manufacturing advances made on flexible electrochemical sensors.

E-Tongues/Noses Based on Conducting Polymers and Composite Materials: Expanding the Possibilities in Complex Analytical Sensing

Conducting polymers (CPs) are extensively studied due to their high versatility and electrical properties, as well as their high environmental stability. Based on the above, their applications as electronic devices are promoted and constitute an interesting matter of research. This review summarizes their application in common electronic devices and their implementation in electronic tongues and noses systems (E-tongues and E-noses, respectively). The monitoring of diverse factors with these devices by multivariate calibration methods for different applications is also included. Lastly, a critical discussion about the enclosed analytical potential of several conducting polymer-based devices in electronic systems reported in literature will be offered.

Textile Chemical Sensors Based on Conductive Polymers for the Analysis of Sweat

Wearable textile chemical sensors are promising devices due to the potential applications in medicine, sports activities and occupational safety and health. Reaching the maturity required for commercialization is a technology challenge that mainly involves material science because these sensors should be adapted to flexible and light-weight substrates to preserve the comfort of the wearer. Conductive polymers (CPs) are a fascinating solution to meet this demand, as they exhibit the mechanical properties of polymers, with an electrical conductivity typical of semiconductors. Moreover, their biocompatibility makes them promising candidates for effectively interfacing the human body. In particular, sweat analysis is very attractive to wearable technologies as perspiration is a naturally occurring process and sweat can be sampled non-invasively and continuously over time. This review discusses the role of CPs in the development of textile electrochemical sensors specifically designed for real-time sweat monitoring and the main challenges related to this topic.

Electrodeposited poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with graphene oxide for the simultaneous voltammetric determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films were electrodeposited by cyclic voltammetry on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in aqueous solution. Three kinds of supporting electrolytes were used, viz. graphene oxide (GO), phosphate buffered saline (PBS), and GO in PBS, respectively. The surface morphology of the modified electrodes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance of the modified electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy by using the hexacyanoferrate redox system. The results demonstrate that the PEDOT-GO/GCE, which was electropolymerized in aqueous solutions containing EDOT and GO, shows the best electrochemical activities compared with other modified electrodes. The electrochemical behaviors of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The PEDOT-GO/GCE exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic activities towards these important biomolecules. Under physiological pH conditions and in the mixed system of AA, DA and UA, the modified GCE exhibits the following figures of merit: (a) a linear voltammetric response in the concentration ranges of 100-1000 μM for AA, 6.0-200 μM for DA, and 40-240 μM for UA; (b) well separated oxidation peaks near 31, 213 and 342 mV (vs. saturated Ag/AgCl) for AA, DA and UA, respectively; and (c) detection of limits (at S/N = 3) of 20, 2.0 and 10 μM. The results demonstrate that GO, based on its relatively large number of anionic sites, can be used as the sole weak electrolyte and charge balance dopant for the preparation of functionally doped conducting polymers by electrodeposition. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of a nanostructure composed of hybrid conducting polymer PEDOT-GO nanocomposites, and its application to simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid.

Conducting Polymers, Hydrogels and Their Composites: Preparation, Properties and Bioapplications

This review is focused on current state-of-the-art research on electroactive-based materials and their synthesis, as well as their physicochemical and biological properties. Special attention is paid to pristine intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) and their composites with other organic and inorganic components, well-defined micro- and nanostructures, and enhanced surface areas compared with those of conventionally prepared ICPs. Hydrogels, due to their defined porous structures and being filled with aqueous solution, offer the ability to increase the amount of immobilized chemical, biological or biochemical molecules. When other components are incorporated into ICPs, the materials form composites; in this particular case, they form conductive composites. The design and synthesis of conductive composites result in the inheritance of the advantages of each component and offer new features because of the synergistic effects between the components. The resulting structures of ICPs, conducting polymer hydrogels and their composites, as well as the unusual physicochemical properties, biocompatibility and multi-functionality of these materials, facilitate their bioapplications. The synergistic effects between constituents have made these materials particularly attractive as sensing elements for biological agents, and they also enable the immobilization of bioreceptors such as enzymes, antigen-antibodies, and nucleic acids onto their surfaces for the detection of an array of biological agents. Currently, these materials have unlimited applicability in biomedicine. In this review, we have limited discussion to three areas in which it seems that the use of ICPs and materials, including their different forms, are particularly interesting, namely, biosensors, delivery of drugs and tissue engineering.

In vitro selection of electrochemical peptide probes using bioorthogonal tRNA for influenza virus detection

An electrosensitive peptide probe has been developed from an in vitro selection technique using biorthogonal tRNA prepared with an electroreactive non-natural amino acid, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-conjugated aminophenylalanine. The selected probe quantitatively detected the influenza virus based on a signal "turn-on" mechanism. The developed strategy could be used to develop electrochemical biosensors toward a variety of targets.

Selective detection of dopamine with an all PEDOT:PSS Organic Electrochemical Transistor

An all PEDOT:PSS Organic Electrochemical Transistor (OECT) has been developed and used for the selective detection of dopamine (DA) in the presence of interfering compounds (ascorbic acid, AA and uric acid, UA). The selective response has been implemented using a potentiodynamic approach, by varying the operating gate voltage and the scan rate. The trans-conductance curves allow to obtain a linear calibration plot for AA, UA and DA and to separate the redox waves associated to each compound; for this purpose, the scan rate is an important parameter to achieve a good resolution. The sensitivities and limits of detection obtained with the OECT have been compared with those obtained by potential step amperometric techniques (cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry), employing a PEDOT:PSS working electrode: our results prove that the all-PEDOT:PSS OECT sensitivities and limits of detection are comparable or even better than those obtained by DPV, a technique that employs a sophisticate potential wave and read-out system in order to maximize the performance of electrochemical sensors and that can hardly be considered a viable readout method in practical applications.

Textile Organic Electrochemical Transistors as a Platform for Wearable Biosensors

The development of wearable chemical sensors is receiving a great deal of attention in view of non-invasive and continuous monitoring of physiological parameters in healthcare applications. This paper describes the development of a fully textile, wearable chemical sensor based on an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) entirely made of conductive polymer (PEDOT:PSS). The active polymer patterns are deposited into the fabric by screen printing processes, thus allowing the device to actually "disappear" into it. We demonstrate the reliability of the proposed textile OECTs as a platform for developing chemical sensors capable to detect in real-time various redox active molecules (adrenaline, dopamine and ascorbic acid), by assessing their performance in two different experimental contexts: i) ideal operation conditions (i.e. totally dipped in an electrolyte solution); ii) real-life operation conditions (i.e. by sequentially adding few drops of electrolyte solution onto only one side of the textile sensor). The OECTs response has also been measured in artificial sweat, assessing how these sensors can be reliably used for the detection of biomarkers in body fluids. Finally, the very low operating potentials (<1 V) and absorbed power (~10-4 W) make the here described textile OECTs very appealing for portable and wearable applications.

Conducting polymers in electrochemical sensing: factors influencing the electroanalytical signal

The paper highlights the intrinsic role of the conducting polymers (CPs) in CP-based electrochemical sensing devices. The effects of specific parameters of the electrochemical synthesis and overall measurement protocol, such as nature of the solvent and doping ions, the characteristics of the electrochemical polymerisation procedure, the nature of the CP-carrying substrates, and the composition of the medium used for the electroanalytical measurement, are discussed in an attempt to provide guidelines necessary for optimisation of CP-based electrochemical sensing. The lesser stability of CPs is also addressed as one of the main possible drawbacks of these materials in comparison to inorganic-based sensors.

Electrochemical detection of peroxynitrite using hemin-PEDOT functionalized boron-doped diamond microelectrode

Peroxynitrite is a potent nitroxidation agent and highly reactive metabolite, clinically correlated with a rich pathophysiology. Its sensitive and selective detection is challenging due to its high reactivity and short sub-second lifetime. Boron-doped diamond (BDD) microelectrodes have attracted interest because of their outstanding electroanalytical properties that include a wide working potential window and enhanced signal-to-noise ratio. Herein, we report on the modification of a BDD microelectrode with an electro-polymerized film of hemin and polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) for the purpose of selectively quantifying peroxynitrite. The nanostructured modified polymer layer was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical response to peroxynitrite was studied by voltammetry and time-based amperometry. The measured detection limit was 10 ± 0.5 nM (S/N = 3), the sensitivity was 4.5 ± 0.5 nA nM(-1) and the response time was 3.5 ± 1 s. The hemin-PEDOT BDD sensors exhibited a response variability of 5% or less (RSD). The stability of the sensors after a 20-day storage in 0.1 M PB (pH 7.4) at 4 °C was excellent as at least 93% of the initial response to 50 nM PON was maintained. The presence of PEDOT was correlated with a sensitivity increase.

CdSe (quantum dots)–graphene oxide system for thiophene polymerization: a new strategy, a new material

This study presents a novel method for the oxidative polymerization of thiophene (T) by employing cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots and CdSe–graphene oxide (GO) as activators of the polymerization system.

A simple all-PEDOT:PSS electrochemical transistor for ascorbic acid sensing

An all-PEDOT:PSS electrochemical transistor was used to detect ascorbic acid, which is an excellent platform for developing chemical sensors.

Optical sensor arrays for chemical sensing: the optoelectronic nose

A comprehensive review is presented on the development and state of the art of colorimetric and fluorometric sensor arrays. Optical arrays based on chemoresponsive colorants (dyes and nanoporous pigments) probe the chemical reactivity of analytes, rather than their physical properties. This provides a high dimensionality to chemical sensing that permits high sensitivity (often down to ppb levels), impressive discrimination among very similar analytes and exquisite fingerprinting of extremely similar mixtures over a wide range of analyte types, both in the gas and liquid phases.

Immobilization of helicene onto carbon substrates through electropolymerization of [7]helicenyl-thiophene

In this work, monomeric 3-([7]helicen-9-yl)thiophene was synthesized and used for the preparation of a polymeric film by electrosynthesis.

Applications of conjugated polymer based composites in wastewater purification

This review describes the application of conjugated polymer (polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophene) based composites in wastewater purification.

Micro- to nanostructured poly(pyrrole-nitrilotriacetic acid) films via nanosphere templates: applications to 3D enzyme attachment by affinity interactions

We report the combination of latex nanosphere lithography with electropolymerization of N-substituted pyrrole monomer bearing a nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) moiety for the template-assisted nanostructuration of poly(pyrrole-NTA) films and their application for biomolecule immobilization. The electrodes were modified by casting latex beads (100 or 900 nm in diameter) on their surface followed by electropolymerization of the pyrrole-NTA monomer and the subsequent chelation of Cu(2+) ions. The dissolution of the nanobeads leads then to a nanostructured polymer film with increased surface. Thanks to the versatile affinity interactions between the (NTA)Cu(2+) complex and histidine- or biotin-tagged proteins, both tyrosinase and glucose oxidase were immobilized on the modified electrode. Nanostructuration of the polypyrrole via nanosphere lithography (NSL) using 900- and 100-nm latex beads allows an increase in surface concentration of enzymes anchored on the functionalized polypyrrole electrode. The nanostructured enzyme electrodes were characterized by fluorescence microscopy, 3D laser scanning confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical studies demonstrate the increase in the amount of immobilized biomolecules and associated biosensor performances when achieving NSL compared to conventional polymer formation without bead template. In addition, the decrease in nanobead diameter from 900 to 100 nm provides an enhancement in biosensor performance. Between biosensors based on films polymerized without nanobeads and with 100-nm nanobeads, maximum current density values increase from 4 to 56 μA cm(-2) and from 7 to 45 μA cm(-2) for biosensors based on tyrosinase and glucose oxidase, respectively.

Development of amperometric biosensors based on nanostructured tyrosinase-conducting polymer composite electrodes

Bio-composite coatings consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and tyrosinase (Ty) were successfully electrodeposited on conventional size gold (Au) disk electrodes and microelectrode arrays using sinusoidal voltages. Electrochemical polymerization of the corresponding monomer was carried out in the presence of various Ty amounts in aqueous buffered solutions. The bio-composite coatings prepared using sinusoidal voltages and potentiostatic electrodeposition methods were compared in terms of morphology, electrochemical properties, and biocatalytic activity towards various analytes. The amperometric biosensors were tested in dopamine (DA) and catechol (CT) electroanalysis in aqueous buffered solutions. The analytical performance of the developed biosensors was investigated in terms of linear response range, detection limit, sensitivity, and repeatability. A semi-quantitative multi-analyte procedure for simultaneous determination of DA and CT was developed. The amperometric biosensor prepared using sinusoidal voltages showed much better analytical performance. The Au disk biosensor obtained by 50 mV alternating voltage amplitude displayed a linear response for DA concentrations ranging from 10 to 300 μM, with a detection limit of 4.18 μM.