Pd/Ni/Si-microchannel-plate-based amperometric sensor for ethanol detection

Electrochemical sensor featuring PdFeCo1-xONPs on carbon paper for the sensitive determination of indole-3-lactic acid levels in serum samples

A highly sensitive and selective electrochemical sensing platform with self-assembled porous 3-D trimetallic (Pd, Fe, and Co) hybrid anchored on a cost-effective and high-conducting carbon paper (CP) synthesized via a facile and cost-effective hydrothermal impregnation and thermal reduction technique was developed for determining indole-3-lactic acid (ILA) levels in buffer and serum samples. Before the analytical phase, the composite (PdFeCo1-xONPs@CP electrode) was thoroughly characterized, and different methods were used to investigate the electrochemical properties. The combination of tri-metallics with CP-fibers improved sensing capacities in the linear range of 0.05-30 μM, with sensitivity and limits of detection of and 0.165 ± 0.013 μA/μM and 7.8 ± 0. 2 nM, respectively, towards ILA determination. Furthermore, the developed sensing platform was utilized for the analyses of ILA in sigma, human normal, and alcohol use disorder patients' serum samples. Liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry was equally used to quantify ILA levels in the serum samples and the results of both methods were compared.

Well-defined polyindole–Au NPs nanobrush as a platform for electrochemical oxidation of ethanol

Over the recent decades, conducting polymers have received great interest in many fields including microelectronics, energy conversion devices, and biosensing due to their unique properties like electrical conductivity, stability, and simple synthesis. Modification of conducting polymers with noble metals e.g. gold enhances their properties and opens new opportunities to also apply them in other fields like electrocatalysis. Here, we focus on the synthesis of hybrid material based on polyindole (PIN) nanobrush modified with gold nanoparticles and its application towards electrooxidation of ethanol. The paper presents systematic studies from synthesis to electrochemical sensing applications. For the characterization of PIN–Au composites, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses were used. The electrocatalytic performance of the proposed hybrid material towards alcohol oxidation was studied in alkaline media by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The results show that PIN–Au hybrid can be employed as an effective and sensitive platform for the detection of alcohols, which makes it a promising material in electrocatalysis or sensors. Moreover, the proposed composite exhibits electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation, which combined with its good long-term stability opens the opportunity for its application in fuel cells.

Advances in developing rapid, reliable and portable detection systems for alcohol

Development of portable, reliable, sensitive, simple, and inexpensive detection system for alcohol has been an instinctive demand not only in traditional brewing, pharmaceutical, food and clinical industries but also in rapidly growing alcohol based fuel industries. Highly sensitive, selective, and reliable alcohol detections are currently amenable typically through the sophisticated instrument based analyses confined mostly to the state-of-art analytical laboratory facilities. With the growing demand of rapid and reliable alcohol detection systems, an all-round attempt has been made over the past decade encompassing various disciplines from basic and engineering sciences. Of late, the research for developing small-scale portable alcohol detection system has been accelerated with the advent of emerging miniaturization techniques, advanced materials and sensing platforms such as lab-on-chip, lab-on-CD, lab-on-paper etc. With these new inter-disciplinary approaches along with the support from the parallel knowledge growth on rapid detection systems being pursued for various targets, the progress on translating the proof-of-concepts to commercially viable and environment friendly portable alcohol detection systems is gaining pace. Here, we summarize the progress made over the years on the alcohol detection systems, with a focus on recent advancement towards developing portable, simple and efficient alcohol sensors.

Ethanol sensor development based on ternary-doped metal oxides (CdO/ZnO/Yb2O3) nanosheets for environmental safety

Herein, we report the construction of a dynamic, highly sensitive, stable, reliable, and reproducible selective ethanol sensor based on a ternary metal oxide system of CdO/ZnO/Yb₂O₃ nanosheets (NSs).

Hollow CuO nanospheres uniformly anchored on porous Si nanowires: preparation and their potential use as electrochemical sensors

Hollow CuO nanospheres have been prepared via a reduction reaction of copper ions on porous Si nanowires combined with calcination in air and uniformly anchored on their surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to characterize and analyze as-synthesized samples. The results reveal that Si nanowires fabricated from heavily doped Si wafer are formed with a meso-porous structure by an Ag-assisted etching approach, and Cu nanoparticles are formed and uniformly decorated on the Si nanowires through a reaction of copper ions reduced by silicon. After annealing in air, Cu nanoparticles are in situ oxidized and transformed into CuO, leading to the formation of hollow nanospheres because of the Kirkendall effect. The diameter size of as-prepared CuO hollow spheres anchored on porous Si nanowires is mainly around 30 nm. Finally, in order to illuminate the advantages of this novel hybrid nanostructure of nanosized hollow spheres supported on porous nanowires, its electrochemical sensing performance to hydrazine as an example has been further investigated. The results confirm that it is a good potential application to detect hydrazine.