Iridium oxide-modified reference screen-printed electrodes for point-of-care portable electrochemical cortisol detection

Cortisol is a well-known stress biomarker; this study focuses on using electrochemical immuno-sensing to measure the concentration of cortisol selectively and sensitively in artificial samples. Anti-cortisol antibodies have been immobilised on polycrystalline Au electrodes via strong covalent thiol bonds, fabricating an electrochemical bio-immunosensor for cortisol detection. IrOx was then anodically electrodeposited as a reference electrode on a commercial screen-printed electrode and electrochemical impedance spectrometry (EIS) studies were used to correlate the electrochemical response to cortisol concentration and the induced changes in charge transfer resistance (Rct). A linear relationship between the Rct and the logarithm of cortisol concentration was found in concentrations ranging from 1 ng/mL to 1 mg/mL with limit of detection at 11.85 pg/mL (32.69 pM). The modification of the reference electrode with iridium oxide has greatly improved the reproducibility of the screen-printed electrode. The sensing system can provide a reliable and sensitive detection approach for cortisol measurements.

A Comparative Study on the Effect of Substrate Structure on Electrochemical Performance and Stability of Electrodeposited Platinum and Iridium Oxide Coatings for Neural Electrodes

Implantable electrodes are crucial for stimulation safety and recording quality of neuronal activity. To enhance their electrochemical performance, electrodeposited nanostructured platinum (nanoPt) and iridium oxide (IrOx) have been proposed due to their advantages of in situ deposition and ease of processing. However, their unstable adhesion has been a challenge in practical applications. This study investigated the electrochemical performance and stability of nanoPt and IrOx coatings on hierarchical platinum-iridium (Pt-Ir) substrates prepared by femtosecond laser, compared with the coatings on smooth Pt-Ir substrates. Ultrasonic testing, agarose gel testing, and cyclic voltammetry (CV) testing were used to evaluate the coatings' stability. Results showed that the hierarchical Pt-Ir substrate significantly enhanced the charge-storage capacity of electrodes with both coatings to more than 330 mC/cm2, which was over 75 times that of the smooth Pt-Ir electrode. The hierarchical substrate could also reduce the cracking of nanoPt coatings after ultrasonic, agarose gel and CV testing. Although some shedding was observed in the IrOx coating on the hierarchical substrate after one hour of sonication, it showed good stability in the agarose gel and CV tests. Stable nanoPt and IrOx coatings may not only improve the electrochemical performance but also benefit the function of neurobiochemical detection.

Nafion Modified Titanium Nitride pH Sensor for Future Biomedical Applications

pH sensors are increasingly being utilized in the biomedical field and have been implicated in health applications that aim to improve the monitoring and treatment of patients. In this work, a previously developed Titanium Nitride (TiN) solid-state pH sensor is further enhanced, with the potential to be used for pH regulation inside the human body and for other biomedical, industrial, and environmental applications. One of the main limitations of existing solid-state pH sensors is their reduced performance in high redox mediums. The potential shift E0 value of the previously developed TiN pH electrode in the presence of oxidizing or reducing agents is 30 mV. To minimize this redox shift, a Nafion-modified TiN electrode was developed, tested, and evaluated in various mediums. The Nafion-modified electrode has been shown to shift the E0 value by only 2 mV, providing increased accuracy in highly redox samples while maintaining acceptable reaction times. Overcoming the redox interference for pH measurement enables several advantages of the Nafion-modified TiN electrode over the standard pH glass electrode, implicating its use in medical diagnosis, real-time health monitoring, and further development of miniaturized smart sensors.

Nanostructured Iridium Oxide: State of the Art

Iridium Oxide (IrO2) is a metal oxide with a rutile crystalline structure, analogous to the TiO2 rutile polymorph. Unlike other oxides of transition metals, IrO2 shows a metallic type conductivity and displays a low surface work function. IrO2 is also characterized by a high chemical stability. These highly desirable properties make IrO2 a rightful candidate for specific applications. Furthermore, IrO2 can be synthesized in the form of a wide variety of nanostructures ranging from nanopowder, nanosheets, nanotubes, nanorods, nanowires, and nanoporous thin films. IrO2 nanostructuration, which allows its attractive intrinsic properties to be enhanced, can therefore be exploited according to the pursued application. Indeed, IrO2 nanostructures have shown utility in fields that span from electrocatalysis, electrochromic devices, sensors, fuel cell and supercapacitors. After a brief description of the IrO2 structure and properties, the present review will describe the main employed synthetic methodologies that are followed to prepare selectively the various types of nanostructures, highlighting in each case the advantages brought by the nanostructuration illustrating their performances and applications.