Fabrication and characterisation of novel screen-printed tubular microband electrodes, and their application to the measurement of hydrogen peroxide

Screen-printed electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring of heavy metal ion detection

Heavy metal ions (HMIs) are known to cause severe damages to the human body and ecological environment. And considering the current alarming situation, it is crucial to develop a rapid, sensitive, robust, economical and convenient method for their detection. Screen printed electrochemical technology contributes greatly to this task, and has achieved global attention. It enabled the mass transmission rate and demonstrated ability to control the chemical nature of the measure media. Besides, the technique offers advantages like linear output, quick response, high selectivity, sensitivity and stability along with low power requirement and high signal-to-noise ratio. Recently, the performance of SPEs has been improved employing the most effective and promising method of the incorporation of different nanomaterials into SPEs. Especially, in electrochemical sensors, the incorporation of nanomaterials has gained extensive attention for HMIs detection as it exhibits outstanding features like broad electrochemical window, large surface area, high conductivity, selectivity and stability. The present review focuses on the recent progress in the field of screen-printed electrochemical sensors for HMIs detection using nanomaterials. Different fabrication methods of SPEs and their utilization for real sample analysis of HMIs using various nanomaterials have been extensively discussed. Additionally, advancement made in this field is also discussed taking help of the recent literature.

Electrochemical communication with the inside of cells using micro-patterned vertical carbon nanofibre electrodes

With the rapidly increasing demands for ultrasensitive biodetection, the design and applications of new nano-scale materials for development of sensors based on optical and electrochemical transducers have attracted substantial interest. In particular, given the comparable sizes of nanomaterials and biomolecules, there exist plenty of opportunities to develop functional nanoprobes with biomolecules for highly sensitive and selective biosensing, shedding new light on cellular behaviour. Towards this aim, herein we interface cells with patterned nano-arrays of carbon nanofibers forming a nanosensor-cell construct. We show that such a construct is capable of electrochemically communicating with the intracellular environment.

Metallophthalocyanines and metalloporphyrins as electrocatalysts: a case of hydrogen peroxide and glucose detection

This review summarizes the applications of metallophthalocyanine (MPc) and metallo-porphyrin (MP) complexes as electrocatalysts immobilized onto various electrodes for the detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose. The uses of MPc and MP complexes as electron mediators for the detection of glucose at glucose oxidase modified surfaces are discussed.

The voltammetric behaviour of lead at a microband screen-printed carbon electrode and its determination in acetate leachates from glazed ceramic plates

Microband screen-printed carbon electrodes (μBSPCEs) without further modification have been investigated as disposable sensors for the measurement of lead in acetate leachates from ceramic glazed plates. Cyclic voltammetry was employed to elucidate the electrochemical behaviour of Pb(2+) at these electrodes in a variety of supporting electrolytes. The anodic peaks obtained on the reverse scans, showed that Pb had been deposited as a thin layer on the surface of the μBSPCE. The anodic peak of greatest magnitude was obtained in 0.1M pH 4.1 acetate buffer containing 13 mM Cl(-). The effect of chromium, copper, phosphate, sulphate and tin was examined and under the conditions employed, no significant change in current was found. The μBSPCEs were evaluated by carrying out lead determinations for acetate leachates from glazed ceramic plates. A highly decorated ornamental plate was found to leach 400 μg Pb(2+) (%CV=1.91%). A second plate, designed for dinnerware was found not to leach any detectable levels of Pb(2+). However, once fortified with 2.10 μg of Pb (equivalent to 100 ng/ml in the leachate), a mean recovery of 82.08% (%CV=4.07%) was obtained. The performance characteristics indicate that reliable data has been obtained for this application which could identify potentially toxic sources of lead.