Development of W/WO3Sensors for the Measurement of pH in An Emulsion Polymerization System

Recent Progress in Electrochemical pH-Sensing Materials and Configurations for Biomedical Applications

pH-sensing materials and configurations are rapidly evolving toward exciting new applications, especially those in biomedical applications. In this review, we highlight rapid progress in electrochemical pH sensors over the past decade (2008-2018) with an emphasis on key considerations, such as materials selection, system configurations, and testing protocols. In addition to recent progress in optical pH sensors, our main focus in this review is on electromechanical pH sensors due to their significant advances, especially in biomedical applications. We summarize developments of electrochemical pH sensors that by virtue of their optimized material chemistries (from metal oxides to polymers) and geometrical features (from thin films to quantum dots) enable their adoption in biomedical applications. We further present an overview of necessary sensing standards and protocols. Standards ensure the establishment of consistent protocols, facilitating collective understanding of results and building on the current state. Furthermore, they enable objective benchmarking of various pH-sensing reports, materials, and systems, which is critical for the overall progression and development of the field. Additionally, we list critical issues in recent literary reporting and suggest various methods for objective benchmarking. pH regulation in the human body and state-of-the-art pH sensors (from ex vivo to in vivo) are compared for suitability in biomedical applications. We conclude our review by (i) identifying challenges that need to be overcome in electrochemical pH sensing and (ii) providing an outlook on future research along with insights, in which the integration of various pH sensors with advanced electronics can provide a new platform for the development of novel technologies for disease diagnostics and prevention.

Development of Tungsten Oxide Nanoparticle Modified Carbon Fibre Cloth as Flexible pH Sensor

A reagent-less pH sensor based on disposable and low cost carbon fibre cloth (CFC) is demonstrated for the first time, where tungsten oxide nanoparticles were grown directly onto the CFC substrate. For comparison purpose, tungsten oxide nanoparticle modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was also fabricated as a pH sensor, where hydrothermally synthesized tungsten oxide nanoparticles were drop casted onto the GCE surface. The corresponding equilibrium potential using tungsten oxide/CFC as a pH sensor was measured using open circuit potential (OCP), and was found to be linear over the pH range of 3-10, with a sensitivity of 41.38 mVpH^-1, and response time of 150 s. In the case of tungsten oxide/GCE as a pH sensor, square wave voltammetry (SWV) was used to measure the shifts in peak potential and was found to be linear with a pH range of 3-11, and a sensitivity of 60 mVpH^-1 with a potential drift of 2.4-5.0% after 3 hour of continuous use. The advantages of tungsten oxide/CFC and tungsten oxide/GCE as pH sensing electrode have been directly compared with the commercial glass probe based electrode, and validated in real un-buffered samples. Thereby, tungsten oxide nanoparticles with good sensitivity and long term stability could be potentially implemented as a low cost and robust pH sensor in numerous applications for the Internet of Things (IoT).

In situ pH measurement during the formation of conversion coatings on an aluminum alloy (AA2024)

The measurement of interfacial pH change is important for understanding the formation mechanism of conversion coatings that are used to protect metals from corrosion. In this work, we used a tungsten microelectrode to measure the interfacial pH change near the surface of an aluminium alloy (AA2024) during the formation of two conversion coatings: (i) a trivalent chromium pretreatment (TCP) and (ii) a Ti-based, non-chromium-containing coating. The tungsten microelectrode exhibited an open circuit potential (OCP) that changed linearly as a function of the solution pH with a slope of -64 mV per pH. The microelectrode was positioned near the AA2024-T3 surface and its potential was measured as a function of time along with the OCP of the alloy sample during formation of the two coatings. The microelectrode exhibited a negative shift in potential immediately upon initiation of the coating formation, consistent with a significant increase in the interfacial pH of 2-6 units depending on the coating system. The pH increase is attributed to proton-consuming cathodic reactions that occur on the alloy surface once the passivating oxide layer is dissolved: hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction. The increased pH causes the hydrolysis of the soluble fluorometalate precursor species in the baths, which precipitate forming a hydrated metal oxide coating (e.g., ZrO2·nH2O).