Formation and Growth of Oxide Layers at Platinum and Gold Nano- and Microelectrodes

Triple-function carbon-based Ca2+ ion-selective pH ring microelectrode to study real-time bacteria-mediated hydroxyapatite corrosion

BACKGROUND

The local pH change mediated by the pathogenic bacterial species Streptococcus mutans plays a significant role in the corrosion of hydroxyapatite (HA) present in the tooth in the dynamic oral cavity. The acid produced by the bacteria decreases the local pH and releases Ca2+ ions from the HA. We studied the bacteria-mediated demineralization of HA by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) after growing S. mutans biofilm on HA for 7 days.

RESULTS

We notably developed a triple-function SECM-compatible tip that could be positioned above the biofilm. It can also measure the pH and [Ca2+] change simultaneously above the biofilm-HA substrate. The triple-function SECM tip is a combination of a potentiometric pH sensor deposited with iridium oxide and a dual-function carbon-based Ca2+ ion-selective membrane electrode with a slope of 67 mV/pH and 34.3 mV/log [Ca2+], respectively. The distance-controlled triple-function SECM tip monitored real-time pH and [Ca2+] changes 30 μm above the S. mutans biofilm. The high temporal resolution pH data demonstrated that after approximately 20 min of sucrose addition, S. mutans started to produce acid to titrate the solution buffer, causing a pH change from 7.2 to 6.5 for HA and from 7.2 to 5 for the glass substrate. We observed that, after 30 min of acid production, ∼300 μM of Ca2+ ions were increased at pH 6.5 above the biofilm surface as a result of the pH change in the local microenvironment. After the release of Ca2+ from HA, the pH environment again shifted toward the neutral side, from 6.5 to 7.2. Therefore, precipitation of Ca2+ happens at the top of the biofilm, thus corroding the HA from underneath. For a glass substrate, in contrast, no Ca2+ ions were released, and the pH did not change back to 7.2. We were able to observe the dynamics of the HA demineralization-remineralization process simultaneously with our newly developed triple-function SECM tip or microprobe.

SIGNIFICANCE

This technique could notably advance the study of similar complex processes, such as bacteria-mediated corrosion in biomedical and environmental contexts.

Origins of nanoscale damage to glass-sealed platinum electrodes with submicrometer and nanometer size

Glass-sealed Pt electrodes with submicrometer and nanometer size have been successfully developed and applied for nanoscale electrochemical measurements such as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). These small electrodes, however, are difficult to work with because they often lose a current response or give a low SECM feedback in current-distance curves. Here we report that these problems can be due to the nanometer-scale damage that is readily and unknowingly made to the small tips in air by electrostatic discharge or in electrolyte solution by electrochemical etching. The damaged Pt electrodes are recessed and contaminated with removed electrode materials to lower their current responses. The recession and contamination of damaged Pt electrodes are demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The recessed geometry is noticeable also by SECM but is not obvious from a cyclic voltammogram. Characterization of a damaged Pt electrode with recessed geometry only by cyclic voltammetry may underestimate electrode size from a lower limiting current owing to an invalid assumption of inlaid disk geometry. Significantly, electrostatic damage can be avoided by grounding a Pt electrode and nearby objects, most importantly, an operator as a source of electrostatic charge. Electrochemical damage can be avoided by maintaining potentiostatic control of a Pt electrode without internally disconnecting the electrode from a potentiostat between voltammetric measurements. Damage-free Pt electrodes with submicrometer and nanometer sizes are pivotal for reliable and quantitative nanoelectrochemical measurements.

Single nanoskived nanowires for electrochemical applications

In this work, we fabricate gold nanowires with well controlled critical dimensions using a recently demonstrated facile approach termed nanoskiving. Nanowires are fabricated with lengths of several hundreds of micrometers and are easily electrically contacted using overlay electrodes. Following fabrication, nanowire device performance is assessed using both electrical and electrochemical characterization techniques. We observe low electrical resistances with typical linear Ohmic responses from fully packaged nanowire devices. Steady-state cyclic voltammograms in ferrocenemonocarboxylic acid demonstrate scan rate independence up to 1000 mV s(-1). Electrochemical responses are excellently described by classical Butler-Volmer kinetics, displaying a fast, heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics, k(0) = 2.27 ± 0.02 cm s(-1), α = 0.4 ± 0.01. Direct reduction of hydrogen peroxide is observed at nanowires across the 110 pM to 1 mM concentration range, without the need for chemical modification, demonstrating the potential of these devices for electrochemical applications.

Quasi-steady-state voltammetry of rapid electron transfer reactions at the macroscopic substrate of the scanning electrochemical microscope

We report on a novel theory and experiment for scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to enable quasi-steady-state voltammetry of rapid electron transfer (ET) reactions at macroscopic substrates. With this powerful approach, the substrate potential is cycled widely across the formal potential of a redox couple while the reactant or product of a substrate reaction is amperometrically detected at the tip in the feedback or substrate generation/tip collection mode, respectively. The plot of tip current versus substrate potential features the retraceable sigmoidal shape of a quasi-steady-state voltammogram although a transient voltammogram is obtained at the macroscopic substrate. Finite element simulations reveal that a short tip-substrate distance and a reversible substrate reaction (except under the tip) are required for quasi-steady-state voltammetry. Advantageously, a pair of quasi-steady-state voltammograms is obtained by employing both operation modes to reliably determine all transport, thermodynamic, and kinetic parameters as confirmed experimentally for rapid ET reactions of ferrocenemethanol and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane at a Pt substrate with ∼0.5 μm-radius Pt tips positioned at 90 nm-1 μm distances. Standard ET rate constants of ∼7 cm/s were obtained for the latter mediator as the largest determined for a substrate reaction by SECM. Various potential applications of quasi-steady-state voltammetry are also proposed.