Anodic oxidation of chlorophenols in micelles and microemulsions on glassy carbon electrode: the medium effect on electroanalysis and electrochemical detoxification

Carbon Paste Electrodes Surface-Modified with Surfactants: Principles of Surface Interactions at the Interface between Two Immiscible Liquid Phases

Carbon paste electrodes ex-situ modified with different surfactants were studied using cyclic voltammetry with two model redox couples, namely hexaammineruthenium (II)/(III) and hexacyanoferrate (II)/(III), in 0.1 mol L-1 acetate buffer (pH 4), 0.1 mol L-1 phosphate buffer (pH 7), and 0.1 mol L-1 ammonia buffer (pH 9) at a scan rate ranging from 50 to 500 mV s-1. Distinct effects of pH, ionic strength, and the composition of supporting media, as well as of the amount of surfactant and its accumulation at the electrode surface, could be observed and found reflected in changes of double-layer capacitance and electrode kinetics. It has been proved that, at the two-phase interface, the presence of surfactants results in elctrostatic interactions that dominate in the transfer of model substances, possibly accompanied also by the effect of erosion at the carbon paste surface. The individual findings depend on the configurations investigated, which are also illustrated on numerous schemes of the actual microstructure at the respective electrode surface. Finally, principal observations and results are highlighted and discussed with respect to the future development and possible applications of sensors based on surfactant-modified composited electrodes.

Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Detection of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol Using CuO/Nafion/GCE: A Practical Sensor for Environmental Toxicants

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6 TCP) is one of the hazardous toxicants, which has severe impacts on the environment and human health. This study is designed to develop a highly sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor based on CuO nanostructures for the detection of 2,4,6 TCP. The CuO nanostructures were synthesized through an aqueous chemical growth method and characterized by versatile analytical techniques, for example, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. The characterization tools revealed a high crystalline nature, exceptional phase purity, nanoball morphology with an average size of around 18.7 nm for the CuO nanostructures. The synthesized material was used to modify a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with the help of Nafion as a binder to improve its efficiency and sensitivity. The CuO/Nafion/GCE was proven to be a potential sensor for the determination of 2,4,6 TCP under optimized conditions at a scan rate of 70 mV/s, potential range of 0.1-1.0 V, and phosphate buffer of neutral pH as the supporting electrolyte. The linear range for 2,4,6 TCP was set from (1 to 120 μM) with a low limit of detection value calculated to be 0.046 μM. The developed sensor was effectively applied for water samples with acceptable recovery values from 95.9 to 100.6%.

Environmental implications of the surfactant effect on the photochemistry of (substituted) 4-chlorophenols in water

The effect of surfactants (cationic, anionic, and nonionic) on the direct photochemistry of selected chlorophenol antimicrobials in aqueous solution has been investigated. The inclusion of the starting aromatics into micelles markedly directs the reaction towards a cleaner process (mainly photoreduction), contrasting with the variety of processes observed when the irradiation is carried out in neat water. This could have some implications from the environmental point of view because such paths may be significant in natural aquatic systems.