Direct Electron Transfer Kinetics of Peroxidase at Edge Plane Sites of Cup-Stacked Carbon Nanofibers and Their Comparison with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Cooperative Control of Bioelectrocatalytic Activity for Thermo- and Photo-Switchable Cup-Stacked Carbon Nanofiber Electrodes Modified with Phase Transition Polymer and Heme Peptide

Empowering biocatalyst-modified electrodes with the ability to both enforce and perceive will enable the development of intrinsically switchable bioelectrode systems, which exhibit autonomous and heteronomous actions specific to living organisms. However, the electrocatalytic activity of switchable bioelectrodes reported so far has been controlled by changes in the rate of substrate transport to biocatalysts. Here, we prepared a cup-stacked carbon nanofiber (CSCNF) electrode modified with a thermoresponsive N-isopropylacrylamide-based polymer containing peroxidase model compounds (HP). As CSCNFs worked as a converter from near-infrared (NIR) light to heat, bioelectrocatalytic activity of the electrode to H2O2 reduction was reversibly controlled by changes in the amount of electroactive HP, based on expanded and contracted states of the polymers induced by not only environmental temperature changes but also external NIR light irradiation. This intrinsically switchable bioelectrode technique would hold promise for adding new performances in electrochemical biosensors and biofuel cells, for example, autonomous and heteronomous tunable sensitivity and capacity.

Nanofiber-based sorbents: Current status and applications in extraction methods

Advanced sorbents gradually become a research hotspot on account of the increasing attention paid to environmental problems. Due to the prominent physicochemical features of nanofibers (NFs), such as high porosity, large surface area, favorable interconnectivity, high adsorption capacity, wettability, and the possibility of surface modification using functional groups, these nanostructures are regarded as excellent candidates for extraction applications. Therefore, the research in the field of NFs and their nanocomposites has been increasing in recent years. In the present review, we summarize the most recent studies on NFs-based sorbents focusing on strategies for preparation, characterization, and their unique capabilities as porous sorbents in various sorbent-based extraction methods. Moreover, we further described the performance and selectivity of sorbents to achieve improved extraction efficiency. Finally, some perspectives on the challenges and outlook are provided to aid future investigations related to this topic.

Amperometric Biosensors Based on Direct Electron Transfer Enzymes

The accurate determination of analyte concentrations with selective, fast, and robust methods is the key for process control, product analysis, environmental compliance, and medical applications. Enzyme-based biosensors meet these requirements to a high degree and can be operated with simple, cost efficient, and easy to use devices. This review focuses on enzymes capable of direct electron transfer (DET) to electrodes and also the electrode materials which can enable or enhance the DET type bioelectrocatalysis. It presents amperometric biosensors for the quantification of important medical, technical, and environmental analytes and it carves out the requirements for enzymes and electrode materials in DET-based third generation biosensors. This review critically surveys enzymes and biosensors for which DET has been reported. Single- or multi-cofactor enzymes featuring copper centers, hemes, FAD, FMN, or PQQ as prosthetic groups as well as fusion enzymes are presented. Nanomaterials, nanostructured electrodes, chemical surface modifications, and protein immobilization strategies are reviewed for their ability to support direct electrochemistry of enzymes. The combination of both biosensor elements-enzymes and electrodes-is evaluated by comparison of substrate specificity, current density, sensitivity, and the range of detection.

Bioelectrochemical detection of histamine release from basophilic leukemia cell line based on histamine dehydrogenase-modified cup-stacked carbon nanofibers

Histamine released from mast cells plays an important role as not only a physiological active substance for the trigger of allergic reactions but also a neurotransmitter in a nervous system. To detect histamine directly, we immobilized oxygen-independent histamine dehydrogenase (HmDH) onto the surface of cup-stacked carbon nanofibers (CSCNFs), which work both as an electrical nanowire and an enzyme support, and investigated the direct electron transfer reaction from HmDH reduced by histamine to CSCNF. Current responses of histamine oxidation at the HmDH-modified CSCNF electrode showed a linear relationship between 0.3 µM and 300 µM with detection limit of 0.1 µM in a Briton Robinson buffer (pH 9.4) and was about 25 times larger than those at a flat glassy carbon electrode modified with HmDH because of its three-dimensional network. Using the HmDH-modified CSCNF electrode, we successfully observed histamine release from rat basophilic leukemia cell line RBL-2H3 after stimulation with degranulation agents, such as antigen 2,4-dinitrophenylated bovine serum albumin and calcium ionophore A23187. The present sensing system might be applied to at least advanced in vitro allergic diagnostic methods.

Construction of a novel electrochemical biosensor based on a mesoporous silica/oriented graphene oxide planar electrode for detecting hydrogen peroxide

A constant magnetic field (CMF) was used to arrange the orientation of graphene oxide (GO) which was modified on a self-made screen-printed electrode. We evaluated the efficiency of this method for potential analytical application towards the sensing of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Mesoporous silica (MS)-encapsulated horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was immobilized on the electrode with vertically arranged GO to construct an H2O2 sensor (denoted as CMF/GO/HRP@MS). The linear range of the response of the CMF/GO/HRP@MS sensor to H2O2 was 0.1-235 μM, and the detection limit was as low as 0.01 μM. The results demonstrated that the vertical arrangement of GO resulting from the CMF on the electrode surface could increase the electron transfer rate. The excellent selectivity and anti-interference ability of this sensor to H2O2 in physiological samples may be attributed to the synergistic effect of mesoporous silica, GO and constant magnetic field.

Enzymatic self-wiring in nanopores and its application in direct electron transfer biofuel cells

A synthetic enzymatic activity in nanopores leading to the direct fabrication of modified electrodes applicable as biosensors and/or biofuel cell elements is reported. We demonstrate the heterogeneous enzymatic implanting of platinum nanoclusters, PtNCs, in glucose oxidase, GOx, immobilized on mesoporous carbon nanoparticles, MPCNP-modified surface. As the pores confine the growth of the clusters, the PtNC@GOx/MPCNP assembly becomes electrically wired to the matrix, demonstrating direct electron transfer, DET, bioelectrocatalytic properties that correlate with the applied duration of synthesis and cluster size. This inside-out nanocluster growth from the cofactor to the matrix is investigated and further compared to a reversed outside-in strategy which follows the electrochemical deposition of the Pt clusters inside the pores and their electrically induced expansion towards the FAD center of the enzyme. While the inside-out and outside-in methodologies provide, for the first time, synthetic bidirectional direct wiring routes of an enzyme to a surface, we highlight an asymmetry in the wiring efficiency associated with the different assemblies. The results indicate the existence of a shorter gap between the FAD cofactor and the PtNCs in the enzymatically implanted assembly, resulting in elevated bioelectrocatalytic currents, lower overpotential, and a higher turnover rate, 2580 e^- s^-1. The implanted assembly is then coupled to a bilirubin oxidase-adsorbed MPCNP cathode to yield an all-DET biofuel cell. Due to the superior electrical contact of the inside-out-synthesized anode, this cell demonstrates enhanced discharge potential and power outputs as compared to similar systems employing electrochemically synthesized outside-in-grown PtNC-GOx/MPCNPs or even GOx-modified MPCNPs diffusionally mediated by ferrocenemethanol.

Direct Electron Transfer-type Bioelectrocatalysis of Peroxidase at Mesoporous Carbon Electrodes and Its Application for Glucose Determination Based on Bienzyme System

Non-catalytic direct electron transfer (DET) signal of Compound I of horseradish peroxidase (POD) was first detected at 0.7 V on POD/carbon nanotube mixture-modified electrodes. Excellent performance of DET-type bioelectrocatalysis was achieved with POD immobilized with glutaraldehyde on Ketjen Black (KB)-modified electrodes for H₂O₂ reduction with an onset potential of 0.65 V (vs. Ag | AgCl | sat. KCl) without any electrode surface modification. The POD-immobilized KB electrode was found to be suitable for detecting H₂O₂ with a low detection limit (0.1 μM at S/N = 3) at -0.1 V. By co-immobilizing glucose oxidase (GOD) and POD on the KB-modified electrode, a bienzyme electrode was constructed to couple the oxidase reaction of GOD with the DET-type bioelectrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂ by POD. The amperometric detection of glucose was performed with a high sensitivity (0.33 ± 0.01 μA cm^-2 μM^-1) and a low detection limit (2 μM at S/N = 3).

Controlled direct electron transfer kinetics of fructose dehydrogenase at cup-stacked carbon nanofibers

Graphene edge sites not only facilitate heterogeneous electron transfer reactions of redox species because of localization of electrons, but also allow sensitivities and selectivities to be tuned by controlling the atomic oxygen/carbon (O/C) ratio. Here, we immobilized fructose dehydrogenase (FDH) onto the surface of cup-stacked carbon nanofibers (CSCNFs), which provide highly ordered graphene edges with a controlled O/C ratio, and investigated the direct electron communication with FDH. As the O/C ratio decreased at the CSCNF surface, the negative zeta potential was mitigated and the electrochemical communication with FDH was facilitated. This is likely due to improved orientation of FDH molecules on the CSCNF surface. CSCNFs with a controlled O/C ratio could be applied to FDH-based d-fructose biosensors with tunable dynamic range and fructose biofuel cells with a controlled maximum current.

Investigation of Charge Transfer Kinetics at Carbon/Hydroquinone Interfaces for Redox-Active-Electrolyte Supercapacitors

The redox-active electrolyte supercapacitor (RAES) is a relatively new type of energy storage device. Simple addition of selected redox species in the electrolyte can greatly enhance the energy density of supercapacitors relative to traditional electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) owing to redox reactions. Studies on the kinetics at the interface of the electrode and redox mediator are important when developing RAESs. In this work, we employ highly accurate scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to extract the kinetic constants at carbon/hydroquinone interfaces. The charge transfer rate constants are 1.2 × 10^-2 and 1.3 × 10^-2 cm s^-1 for the carbon nanotube/hydroquinone and reduced graphene oxide/hydroquinone interfaces, respectively. These values are higher than those obtained by the conventional cyclic voltammetry method, approximately by an order of magnitude. The evaluation of heterogeneous rate constants with SECM would be the cornerstone for understanding and developing high performance RAESs.