Dynamic quartz crystal impedance measurements of polyvinylferrocene film deposition

Unraveling the Role of Solvation and Ion Valency on Redox-Mediated Electrosorption through In Situ Neutron Reflectometry and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics

Solvation and ion valency effects on selectivity of metal oxyanions at redox-polymer interfaces are explored through in situ spatial-temporally resolved neutron reflectometry combined with large scale ab initio molecular dynamics. The selectivity of ReO4- vs MoO42- for two redox-metallopolymers, poly(vinyl ferrocene) (PVFc) and poly(3-ferrocenylpropyl methacrylamide) (PFPMAm) is evaluated. PVFc has a higher Re/Mo separation factor compared to PFPMAm at 0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl. In situ techniques show that both PVFc and PFPMAm swell in the presence of ReO4- (having higher solvation with PFPMAm), but do not swell in contact with MoO42-. Ab initio molecular simulations suggest that MoO42- maintains a well-defined double solvation shell compared to ReO4-. The more loosely solvated anion (ReO4-) is preferably adsorbed by the more hydrophobic redox polymer (PVFc), and electrostatic cross-linking driven by divalent anionic interactions could impair film swelling. Thus, the in-depth understanding of selectivity mechanisms can accelerate the design of ion-selective redox-mediated separation systems for transition metal recovery and recycling.

Electron transport through a diazonium-based initiator layer to covalently attached polymer brushes of ferrocenylmethyl methacrylate

A versatile method based on electrografting of aryldiazonium salts was used to introduce covalently attached initiators for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) on glassy carbon surfaces. Polymer brushes of ferrocenylmethyl methacrylate were prepared from the surface-attached initiators, and these films were thoroughly analyzed using various techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS), ellipsometry, and electrochemistry. Of particular interest was the electrochemical characterization of the electron transfer through the diazonium-based initiator layer to the redox centers in the polymer brush films. It was found that the apparent rate constant of electron transfer decreases exponentially with the dry-state thickness of this layer. To investigate the electron transfer in the brushes themselves, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was applied, thereby allowing the effect from the initiator layer to be excluded. The unusual transition feature of the approach curves recorded suggests that an initial fast charge transfer to the outermost-situated ferrocenyl groups is followed by a slower electron transport involving the neighboring redox units.

Modeling the Responses of Thickness-Shear Mode Resonators under Various Loading Conditions

We develop a general model that describes the electrical responses of thickness-shear mode resonators subject to a variety of surface conditions. The model incorporates a physically diverse set of single-component loadings, including rigid solids, viscoelastic media, and fluids (Newtonian or Maxwellian). The model allows any number of these components to be combined in any configuration. Such multiple loadings are representative of a variety of physical situations encountered in electrochemical and other liquid-phase applications, as well as gas-phase applications. In the general case, the response of the composite load is not a linear combination of the individual component responses. We discuss application of the model in a qualitative diagnostic fashion to gain insight into the nature of the interfacial structure, and in a quantitative fashion to extract appropriate physical parameters such as liquid viscosity and density and polymer shear moduli.

Use of neutron reflectivity to measure the dynamics of solvation and structural changes in polyvinylferrocene films during electrochemically controlled redox cycling

Time-resolved specular neutron reflectivity measurements are presented and interpreted for electroactive polyvinylferrocene (PVF) films subject to potentiodynamic electrochemical control. New data acquisition methodology allows an effective measurement time scale on the order of seconds, which is an improvement over conventional methodology by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. Reflectivity profiles were obtained for PVF films exposed to aqueous 0.1 M NaClO4 in which PVF films are thermodynamically permselective, with contrast variation via H2O and D2O. Irrespective of any model, the raw profiles show chemically reversible film "breathing" due to redox-driven solvent entry and exit during polymer oxidation and reduction, respectively. Modeling reveals three compositionally distinct regions within the polymer film: interfacial regions at the electrode and solution interfaces and a "bulk" interior. The new methodology, supported by simultaneous in situ visible transmission spectroscopy, reveals an unprecedented level of insight into the temporal and spatial mechanistic details of film solvation changes, including a two-stage (de)solvation mechanism for redox switching, differences in interior (in)homogeneity for reduced and oxidized films, and permselectivity failure under dynamic electrochemical conditions for the reduced (but not oxidized) state, in contrast to static conditions that allow permselectivity for both states.

An EQCM study on the interaction of heparin with the charge-transfer complex generated during o-tolidine electrooxidation: A biosensing mode with a dynamically renewed surface

The electrooxidation of o-tolidine (oTD) was investigated via the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique. The formation and breakage of the poorly soluble charge-transfer complex (CTC) occurred during the redox switching of oTD, and the CTC precipitation on and its removal from the electrode surface led to a V-shaped frequency response to the cyclic voltammetric switching of oTD. The V-shaped frequency response to the redox switching of the CTC/oTD "couple" and the electrode-collection efficiency of the CTC precipitate were notably enhanced by the introduction of sodium heparin due to the formation of the CTC-heparin adduct as reported here for the first time. FTIR and UV-Vis characterizations also supported the interaction between the CTC and heparin. The molar ratio of the positively charged CTC to negatively charged heparin of the adduct was estimated here to be between 31.5 and 36.5, being close to the anticipated value, 37.5, for the full electrical neutralization in the adduct. An EQCM-based biosensor featured by a dynamically renewed surface of the detection electrode was proposed for heparin assay, with a limit of detection of 18.5 nM (S/N=3) in pH 6.0 Britton-Robinson buffer solution containing a 10-fold diluted blood serum. This method is convenient in operation and highly free from the interference from coexisting substances including proteins. The new and intriguing biosensing concept based on the labile CTC-"target" adduct is featured by a dynamically renewable and regenerable surface of the detection electrode, and it is highly recommended for wide biosensing and electroanalytical applications.

Study of fibrinogen adsorption on hydroxyapatite and TiO2 surfaces by electrochemical piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance and FTIR–ATR spectroscopy

The electrochemical piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance (EQCI), a combined technique of piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance (PQCI), electrochemical impedance (EI), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total internal reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) were used to in situ study the adsorption process of fibrinogen onto the surface of biomaterials-TiO2 and hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3OH, HAP). The equivalent circuit parameters, the resonance frequencies and the half peak width of the conductance spectrum of the two biomaterial-modified piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) resonances as well as the FTIR-ATR spectra of fibrinogen during fibrinogen adsorption on TiO2 and HAP particles modified electrode surface were obtained. The adsorption kinetics and mechanism of fibrinogen were investigated and discussed as well. The results suggested that two consecutive steps occurred during the adsorption of fibrinogen onto TiO2 and hydroxyapatite (HAP) surface. The fibrinogen molecules were firstly adsorbed onto the surface, and then the rearrangement of adsorbed fibrinogen or multi-layered adsorption occurred. The FTIR-ATR spectroscopy investigations showed that the secondary structure of fibrinogen molecules was altered during the adsorption and the adsorption kinetics of fibrinogen related with the variety of biomaterials. These experimental results suggest a way for enriching biological analytical science and developing new applications of analytical techniques, such as PQCI, EI, and FTIR-ATR.

Monitoring and estimation of the kinetics parameters in the binding process of tannic acid to bovine serum albumin with electrochemical quartz crystal impedance system

Combined measurements of piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance (PQCI) and electrochemical impedance (EI) were utilized in situ to monitor the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto the newly prepared Au colloid-modified electrode and study the binding process of tannic acid (TA) to BSA on the BSA-modified electrode surface. The time courses of the resonant frequency and the equivalent parameters of the sensor were simultaneously obtained during BSA adsorption and TA-BSA binding. Compared with the bare gold electrode, the Au colloid-modified gold electrode showed better biocompatibility, and the absorption capacity for BSA was increased by approximately 2.4 times. The observed frequency decrease was ascribed to the mass increase of the sensor surface resulting from the TA-BSA binding, which is believed to result mainly from the hydrogen bonding from FT-IR characterization. The maximal molar binding ratio of TA binding to immobilized BSA obtained from the frequency shift of the adsorbed BSA and TA was estimated to be 10.3:1. On the basis of the frequency decrease with time, the kinetics of the binding was quantitatively studied. By way of fitting the experimental data, the kinetics parameters, that is, binding and dissociation constant (k1, k(-1)), and the binding equilibrium constant (ka) were determined, giving values of 9.51 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1), 3.15 s(-1), and 3.1 x 10(4) M(-1), respectively.

An electrochemical quartz crystal impedance study on anti-human immunoglobulin G immobilization in the polymer grown during dopamine oxidation at an Au electrode

The polymeric film grown during dopamine oxidation at an Au electrode was studied as a novel matrix for immobilizing anti-human immunoglobulin G (IgG) via the electrochemical quartz crystal impedance analysis (EQCIA) method. The growth of the polymeric films at Au electrodes during dopamine oxidation in neutral phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) and the immobilization of anti-human IgG into the polymeric films during their growth have been traced at real time. Lysozyme control experiments suggested that anti-human IgG was electrostatically incorporated into the polymeric film. Also, the porosity of the polymeric films has been discussed by measuring the "wet" and "dry" frequency shifts. Compared with a polypyrrole film immobilized with anti-human IgG, the proposed matrix possessed a larger amount of specific binding sites for human IgG by subsequent immunoreaction tests. The association constant of the anti-human IgG immunoreaction was obtained with satisfactory results.

An EQCM Study of the Electropolymerization of Benzene in an Ionic Liquid and Ion Exchange Characteristics of the Resulting Polymer Film

The direct electropolymerization of benzene dissolved in the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate was studied at room temperature applying the electrochemical quartz-crystal microbalance technique. Analysis of the damping changes showed that the Sauerbrey equation could be applied for data evaluation. In the polymer, every third to fourth benzene ring carried a positive charge in the oxidized state. During electropolymerization, some ionic liquid was absorbed in the growing polymer. The redox behavior was characterized by wide peaks typical for conducting polymers. Charge neutrality of the polymer during redox cycling was maintained by anion and cation exchange with the ionic liquid. With increasing scan rate, cation exchange became more and more important.

Piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance study of the Pb2+-induced precipitation of bovine serum albumin and its dissolution with EDTA in an aqueous solution

The piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance technique (QCI) was employed to monitor in situ the Pb2+-induced precipitation of BSA onto a gold electrode and the precipitate dissolution with EDTA in an aqueous solution. The critical precipitation concentration of Pb2+, at which the resonant frequency decreased significantly, was estimated to be 4.78 x 10(-4) mol/L. The saturated adherence of the precipitate on the electrode was observed when the concentration of Pb2+ was greater than 7.53 x 10(-2) mol/L. The frequency response was mainly caused by the mass effect of the precipitate adherence to the electrode, rather than the changes in the physico-chemical properties of the contacting liquid. An excess addition of Na2EDTA after the Pb2+-BSA dissolution led to new precipitation, probably due to the formation of an EDTA precipitate in this medium (pH approximately 3). The pH effect on the response of the resonant frequency was analyzed by using the sum of two exponential functions. A larger frequency response occurred at a pH greater than pI. These findings have been reasonably explained. Also, a decrease in the concentration of the background electrolyte increased the frequency response.

Application of double-impedance system and cyclic voltammetry to study the adsorption of fullerols (C60(OH)n) on biological peptide-adsorbed gold electrode

The adsorption of fullerols (C60(OH)n) on glutathione-adsorbed gold electrode was characterized by using double-impedance system, i.e., electrochemical quartz crystal impedance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The time courses of piezoelectric parameters were used to reflect the changes of interfacial physical properties, such as mass, density-viscosity, and dielectric constant, during the adsorptions of peptide and fullerols onto electrode. The electrochemical impedance based on the simple equivalent electric network were also simultaneously measured and provided electrochemical interface information, e.g., double-layer capacitance and charge-transfer resistance. It was found that the double-impedance responses were varied with the forms of glutathione. It was also shown that the frequency curves due to the adsorption of oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH) glutathione could be exhibited as different kinetic equations. The heterogeneous charge-transfer rate constants of ferricyanide/ferrocyanide before and after the peptide and fullerols adsorption were determined by CV and EIS methods. The results showed that the proposed method has potential applications in interfacial studies of biomaterials, since these combined techniques have advantages in real time providing multidimensional piezoelectric and electrochemical impedance information.

A comparative study on the viscoelasticity and morphology of polyaniline films galvanostatically grown on bare and 4-aminothiophenol-modified gold electrodes using an electrochemical quartz crystal impedance system and SEM

The equivalent-circuit parameters of the 9-MHz piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) resonance were measured in situ during the galvanostatic polymerization of aniline on 4-aminothiophenol(4-ATP)-modified and bare Au electrodes for ca. 2000 s, respectively. Two polymerization media, 0.100 mol L-1 aniline in 1.0 mol L-1 H2SO4 and in 2.0 mol L-1 HClO4 aqueous solutions, and two values of the current density, 12 and 36 microA cm-2, were used. At identical levels of the resonant frequency shifts in the solutions, obviously greater increases in the motional resistance (R1) were found after aniline polymerization on bare Au electrodes, though the absolute values of delta f0/delta R1 were all large; also, the resonant frequency shifts in air (delta f0g) were considerably smaller for PANI films grown on bare Au electrodes. It is thus concluded that, under identical polymerization conditions, (1) the PANI film grown on a bare gold electrode is rougher, less compact, and can entrap solution more notably; (2) the deposition efficiency of PANI is higher on a 4-ATP-modified Au electrode, owing to a significantly greater observed "dry" frequency shift, and thus a greater "net" mass value of the polyaniline backbone. SEM observations have confirmed that PANI films on 4-ATP-modified Au electrodes were smoother and more compact than those grown on bare Au ones under identical polymerization conditions. In addition, a technique of simultaneous measurements of the electroacoustic admittance of the PQC resonance and the electrochemical impedance was used to monitor the adsorption of 4-ATP onto a PQC gold electrode.

In Situ Monitoring of Generation and Precipitation of Ferric Hydroxide Sol with a Piezoelectric Quartz Crystal Impedance Analyzer

The piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) impedance technique was applied to monitor in situ generation and precipitation of the ferric hydroxide sol in aqueous solutions at 90 degrees C. Equivalent circuit parameters and resonant frequencies as well as the half-peak width of the electroacoustic conductance spectrum deltaf(G1/2) for the PQC resonance were obtained and analyzed. Three stages, sol generation and simultaneous adsorption, adsorption equilibrium, and precipitation of ferric hydroxide sol could be identified in the process of adding the ferric nitrate solution into the hot water. A scheme of two consecutive reactions occurring at the electrode/solution interface was used to analyze the adsorption kinetics of ferric hydroxide sol onto the Au electrode. In addition, the electrolyte-induced precipitation of the colloid was monitored and discussed. Temperature effect on the PQC resonance behavior in liquid was also investigated. Since the PQC impedance technique provides multidimensional piezoelectric information in situ, it is highly recommended for studying the process of sol-gel generation and precipitation. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

A piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance study on Cu(2+)-induced precipitation of bovine serum albumin in aqueous solution

Piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance (QCI) technique was used for monitoring the Cu(2+)-induced precipitation of bovine serum albumin onto the gold electrode. The critical precipitate concentration of Cu(2+) reflected by the significant decrease in the resonant frequency was estimated to be 9.98 x 10(-5) mol x l(-1), and the saturated adherence of the precipitate on the electrode occurred when the Cu(2+) concentration was greater than 9.79x10(-3) mol x l(-1). The frequency shift in air was about 85.5% of that in liquid, and the Deltaf(0)/DeltaR(1) ratio found in solution was 82.67 Hz Omega(-1), suggesting that the frequency response was predominated by the mass change due to precipitate adherence to the electrode surface. The response of the resonant frequency was analyzed using an equation Deltaf=a(0) + a(1) e(-t/tau(1)) + a(2) e(-t/tau(2)). The relationship between the total a(0) values and the Cu(2+) concentration was discussed.

An electrochemical quartz crystal impedance study on the rising of an aqueous solution meniscus for a partially immersed gold electrode during the electrochemical reduction of oxygen

An electrochemical quartz crystal impedance system (EQCIS) was used to study the resonance behavior of an AT-cut 9-MHz piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) with its Au electrode partially immersed in KCl, Na2SO4 and NaClO4 aqueous solutions, respectively. An in situ determination of the immersed area and the height of the electrode was achieved by simultaneous measurements of the PQC electroacoustic admittance and the electrochemical impedance. The rising of the solution meniscus for a gold electrode partially immersed in aqueous solutions was found at oxygen reduction potentials and evaluated versus the electrolyte, electrolyte concentration, solution pH and oxygen concentration. The solution meniscus rising was explained based on a lowering of the contact-angle hysteresis and a continued collection of the water product at the solid-gas-solution interface during oxygen reduction.

Open circuit reactions complicating the electroprecipitation of poly(vinylferricinium) films from methylene chloride

We describe an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance interfacial gravimetric study of the electroprecipitation and dissolution of PVF+ClO4- (PVF = poly(vinylferrocene)) films exposed to methylene chloride solutions. Film deposition is diffusion controlled by the supply of PVF from the solution. Film solvent content is markedly dependent upon the deposition potential. The self-exchange process between surface-bound ferricinium sites and solution-phase ferrocene sites, which is responsible for film deposition under conditions of positive applied potential, is also responsible for film dissolution under open circuit conditions. Dependent upon the deposition potential, releasing the electrode from potential control may (not) result in transient deposition processes that temporarily increase surface coverage. Under all conditions, opening the circuit ultimately leads to reductive stripping of the film by solution-phase PVF. The dissolution rate is independent of applied potential, and is not limited by electron transfer at the outer film interface or by electron (and coupled ion) transport within the film; we speculate that polymer-based processes, such as chain disentanglement, are rate limiting.