Cocrystallization mechanism of poly(3-alkyl thiophenes) with different alkyl chain length

The crystallization rates of poly(3-alkyl thiophene) (P3AT) cocrystals having different alkyl chain length (e.g. hexyl and octyl) of the components are measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. Two pairs of cocrystals with varying compositions of the components viz. poly(3-octyl thiophene) (P3OT(R), regioregularity 89 mol%) and poly(3-hexyl thiophene) [P3HT(R), regioregularity 92 mol% and P3HT-2 regioregularity 82 mol%] are used. In both the systems the isothermal temperature range (TR) in the same time scale of crystallization is found to decrease with increasing alkyl chain length in the blends. The crystallization rate at the same T_c decreases with increasing alkyl chain length P3AT concentration and the Avrami exponent values of cocrystals are same with those of the component values. The low Avrami exponent values (0.23-1.16) in all the samples suggest the presence of rigid amorphous portion which can not diffuse out quickly from the crystal growth front (soft impingement). Analysis of crystallization rate using Laurintzen-Hoffman (L-H) growth rate theory indicates that there is regime-I to regime-II transition in all the samples. The product of lateral (σ) and end surface energy (σ_e) values are found to decrease with increasing the concentration of longer alkyl chain P3AT in the blend. Analysis of σ values according to a theory of Hoffman et al. [Hoffman JD, Miller RL, Marand H, Rotiman DR. Macromolecules 1992;25:2221. [14]] indicates that there is chain extension of the components in the melt of the blends, however, the entropy of cocrystallization has different sign to the two systems. Cocrystallization in P3HT(R)/P3OT(R) system is an entropy driven process but that in P3HT(2)/P3OT(R) system is entropy forbidden process. A possible explanation of cocrystallization in the later system has been attributed from small interaction between the components.     

Cholesterol biosensor based on electrochemically prepared polyaniline conducting polymer film in presence of a nonionic surfactant

Cholesterol biosensor has been fabricated by covalently coupling cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) via glutaraldehyde onto electrochemically prepared polyaniline film in presence of TritonX-100 [4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl) phenyl polyethylene glycol], a non-ionic surfactant onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass substrate. These ChOx/PANI-TX-100/ITO bioelectrodes have been characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The results of response measurements carried out on ChOx/PANI-TX-100/ITO bioelectrodes using amperometric and photometric techniques, reveal detection limit as 5 mg/dl, linearity from 5 to 400 mg/dl of cholesterol and sensitivity as 131 μA/(mg/dl cm⁻²). These biosensing electrodes are thermally stable up to 65 °C, can be used about 20 times and have a shelf-life of about 10 weeks when stored at 4 °C. Attempts have also been made to utilize the ChOx/PANI-TX-100/ITO bioelectrodes for estimation of free cholesterol concentration in serum samples.     

Amperometric bienzyme glucose biosensor based on carbon nanotube modified electrode with electropolymerized poly(toluidine blue O) film

The amperometric bienzyme glucose biosensor utilizing horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilized in poly(toluidine blue O) (PTBO) film was constructed on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) modified glassy carbon electrode. The HRP layer could be used to analyze hydrogen peroxide with toluidine blue O (TBO) mediators, while the bienzyme system (HRP + GOx) could be utilized for glucose determination. Glucose underwent biocatalytic oxidation by GOx in the presence of oxygen to yield H₂O₂ which was further reduced by HRP at the MWNT-modified electrode with TBO mediators. In the absence of oxygen, glucose oxidation proceeded with electron transfer between GOx and the electrode mediated by TBO moieties without H₂O₂ production. The bienzyme electrode offered high sensitivity for amperometric determination of glucose at low potential, displaying Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The bienzyme glucose biosensor displayed linear response from 0.1 to 1.2 mM with a sensitivity of 113 mA M⁻¹ cm⁻² at an applied potential of −0.10 V in air-saturated electrolytes.     

Polyaniline Langmuir-Blodgett film modified glassy carbon electrode as a voltammetric sensor for determination of Ag ions

A highly sensitive electrochemical sensor made of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) coated with a Langmuir-Blodgett film (LB) containing polyaniline (PAn) doped with p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) (LB/PAn-PTSA/GCE) has been used for the detection of trace concentrations of Ag⁺. UV-vis absorption spectra indicated that the PAn was doped by PTSA. The surface morphology of the PAn LB film was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The electrochemical properties of this LB/PAn-PTSA/GCE were studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry. The LB/PAn-PTSA/GCE was used as a voltammetric sensor for determination of trace Ag⁺ at pH 5.0 using linear scanning stripping voltammetry. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the stripping current was proportional to the Ag⁺ concentration over the range from 6.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 4.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹. The high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability of this LB/PAn-PTSA/GCE also demonstrated its practical utility for simple, rapid and economical determination of Ag⁺ in water samples.     

Aqueous electrochemiluminescence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons immobilized into Langmuir-Blodgett film at the electrode

In this paper the aqueous electrochemiluminescence (ECL) from polymethylmethacrylate Langmuir-Blodgett films incorporating water insoluble luminophors as rubrene (RUB) and 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) at the electrode was obtained. ECL was excited using reaction with coreactant tripropylamine in aqueous solution in the anodic potential range using scanning voltammetry method. Dependence of ECL response of RUB films versus their thickness and coreactant concentration was also studied.     

Electrical and electroluminescent properties of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) LB films based LEDs using aluminum metal as the electrode

The electrical properties of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films were investigated, wherein transparent indium-tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum (Al) were used as the electrodes. Their I–V characteristics depended strongly on the thickness of PPV LB film, and the electric conductivity of the PPV LB film was in the range of 10⁻²–10⁻¹⁵ (S/cm). Their C–V characteristics showed that the capacitance was reversibly proportional to the thickness of PPV LB film and was kept constant when the applied voltage changed from −1.0 V to +1.0 V. These results indicated that PPV LB film was an insulator in this range of applied voltage without doping. Under forward bias, yellow-green light emission was observed in PPV LB film based light emitting diodes (LEDs), the highest light emission reached more than 100 cd/m² in the case that PPV LB film was deposited for 80 layers, i.e. a ITO/PPV(80L)/Al device.     

Corrosion protection of carbon steel by thin films of poly(3-alkyl thiophenes) in 0.5 M H2SO4

Poly(3-octyl thiophene) (P3OT) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) dissolved in toluene were deposited onto 1018 carbon steel and corroded in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. P3OT and P3HT films were chemically deposited by drop casting onto 1018-type carbon steel with two surface finishing, i.e. abraded with 600-emery paper and with alumina (Al₂O₃) particles of 1.0 μm in diameter (mirror finish). Their corrosion resistance was estimated by using potentiodynamic polarization curves, linear polarization resistance (LPR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS, techniques. In all cases, polymeric films protected the substrate against corrosion, but the protection was improved if the surface was polished with Al₂O₃ particles of 1.0 μm in diameter. The polymer which gave the best protection was P3HT because the amount of defects was much lower than that for the P3OT films. The polymers did not act only as a barrier layer against aggressive environment, but they improved the passive film properties by decreasing the critical current necessary to passivate the substrate, increasing the pitting potential and broadening the passive interval.     

Organic phase PPO biosensor based on hydrophilic films of electropolymerized polypyrrole

We described herein, the construction of an organic phase enzyme electrode (OPEE) via polyphenol oxidase (PPO) entrapment within a hydrophilic polypyrrole film electrogenerated from on a new bispyrrolic derivative (1) containing a long hydrophilic spacer. The so-called “adsorption step procedure” was adopted for the preparation of the organic phase PPO biosensor. The amperometric detection of catechol was carried out in anhydrous chloroform at −0.2 V versus Ag/AgCl. The electroanalytical parameters of the biosensor strongly depend on its configuration and on the hydration state of the enzyme matrix. The best sensitivity obtained for catechol in chloroform was 15.6 mA M⁻¹ cm⁻².     

Diffusion of hexane vapour in a doped poly(3-tetradecyl thiophene) film

A poly(3-tetradecyl thiophene) (PTDT) film was synthesized and doped with iodine. Hexane vapour was used as a diffusional probe to study the doped polymer at temperatures from 30·3 to 45·5°C. Based on the results from sorption and diffusion measurements, morphological changes related to the side-chain crystals or ordered domains of doped PTDT appeared to occur between 30·3 and 40·2°C. Doping caused decreases in the diffusivity and solubility of doped PTDT in comparison to non-doped PTDT. However, the estimated sorption of hexane by the side-chain of doped PTDT was larger than that of nondoped PTDT, probably due to an enlargement in the spacing created by doping. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Temperature dependence of photoinduced birefringence in mixed Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of azobenzene-containing polymers

The temperature dependence of photoinduced birefringence was investigated for mixed Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films from the homopolymer poly[4′-[[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]ethyl-amino]-2-chloro-4-nitroazobenzene] (HPDR13) and cadmium stearate (CdSt) and from the copolymer 4-[N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)]amino-2′-chloro-4′-nitroazobenzene (MMA-DR13) and CdSt. Birefringence was achieved by impinging a linearly polarized light on the LB films. The maximum birefringence achieved decreased with temperature as thermal relaxation of the chromophores was facilitated. The buildup curves for birefringence were fitted with biexponential functions representing distinctly different mechanisms with time constants. The first, fast process is thermally activated and may be represented by an Arrhenius process. The decay of birefringence after switching off the laser source was described by a Kohlraush-Williams-Watts (KWW) function, consistent with a distribution of relaxation times for the polymer system. Activation energies were obtained from Arrhenius plots of the rate constant of the exponential functions and KWW function, which showed that the buildup of birefringence was very similar for the two polymer systems. The decay, however, was slower for the LB film from MMA-DR13/CdSt.     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on immobilization of glucose oxidase in electropolymerized o-aminophenol film at Prussian blue-modified platinum electrode

An amperometric glucose biosensor is developed, based on immobilization of glucose oxidase (GO_X) in an electrochemically polymerized, non-conducting poly(o-aminophenol) (POAP) film at Prussian blue (PB)-modified platinum (Pt) microelectrode. Effects of polymerization cycle number for POAP and PB, applied potential used in the determination, pH value of the detection solution and electroactive compounds on the amperometric response of the sensor were investigated and discussed. The electroactive property and rough surface of PB film result in the improvement of the detection limit and the increase of the maximum response current and sensitivity. The biosensor based on Pt/PB/POAP/GO_X electrode has two times lower detection limit, five times larger maximum current and nine times higher sensitivity than those of the biosensor based on Pt/POAP/GO_X electrode. Additionally, the biosensor shows fast response time, large response current, and good anti-interferent ability for l-ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetaminophen. Excellent reproducibility and stability of biosensor are also observed.     

Poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐3‐thienyl‐methylmethacrylate) based working electrodes for hydrogen peroxide biosensing

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen peroxide biosensors based on Poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐3‐thienylmethylmethacrylate)/ Polypyrrole [Poly(GMA‐co‐MTM)/PPy] composite film were reported. Poly(GMA‐co‐MTM) including various amounts of GMA and MTM monomers was synthesized via the radical polymerization. Enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was trapped in Poly(GMA‐co‐MTM)/PPy composites during the electropolymerization reaction between pyrrole and thiophene groups of MTM monomer, and chemically bonded via the epoxy groups of GMA. Analytical parameters of the fabricated electrodes were calculated and are discussed in terms of film electroactivity and mass transfer conditions of the composite films. RESULTS: The amount of electroactive HRP was found to be 1.25, 0.34 and 0.213 µg for the working electrodes of Poly(GMA_30%‐ co‐MTM_70%)/PPy/HRP, Poly(GMA_85%‐co‐MTM_15%)/PPy/HRP and Poly(GMA_90%‐co‐MTM_10%)/PPy/HRP, respectively. Optimal response of the fabricated electrodes was obtained at pH 7 and an operational potential of ? 0.35 V. It was observed that effective enzyme immobilization and electroactivity of the composite films could be changed by changing the ratios of GMA and MTM fractions of Poly(GMA‐co‐MTM) based working electrodes. CONCLUSION: The amount of electroactive enzyme increases with increasing MTM content of the final copolymer. High operational stabilities of the biosensors can be attributed to the strong covalent enzyme linkage via the epoxy groups of GMA due to preventing enzyme deterioration and loss. A more convenient microenvironment for mass transfer was provided for the electrodes by higher GMA ratios. It is observed that mass transfer is dominated by the mechanism of electron transfer to obtain effective sensitivity values. This work contributes to discussions clarifying the problems regarding the design parameters of biosensors. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of electrochemical oxidase biosensors based on carbon nanotube-modified carbon film electrodes for glucose and ethanol

Functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were cast on glassy carbon (GC) and carbon film electrodes (CFE), and were characterised electrochemically and applied in a glucose-oxidase-based biosensor. MWCNT-modified carbon film electrodes were then used to develop an alcohol oxidase (AlcOx) biosensor, in which AlcOx-BSA was cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and attached by drop-coating. The experimental conditions, applied potential and pH, for ethanol monitoring were optimised, and ethanol was determined amperometrically at −0.3 V vs. SCE at pH 7.5. Electrocatalytic effects of MWCNT were observed with respect to unmodified carbon film electrodes. The sensitivity obtained was 20 times higher at carbon film/MWCNT-based biosensors than without MWCNT.     

Application of conducting poly(aniline‐co‐pyrrole) film to cholesterol biosensor

Cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) has been covalently immobilized onto poly(aniline‐co‐pyrrole), electrochemically deposited onto indium‐tin‐oxide (ITO) glass plates, using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker. These poly (An‐co‐Py)/ChOx films have been characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and photometric and amperometric techniques, respectively. The poly(An‐co‐Py)/ChOx bioelectrodes have been utilized for cholesterol estimation in the range of 1–10 mM. The ChOx activity in poly(An‐co‐Py)/ChOx bioelectrode has been found to be the highest at pH 7.0 at 25°C. The sensitivity and stability of poly(An‐co‐Py)/ChOx bioelectrode have been experimentally determined as 93.35 μA/mM and 10 weeks at 4°C, respectively. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

3-异烷氧基噻吩的合成

以CuB r为催化剂,NMP为溶剂,在110℃下,3-溴噻吩与过量的甲醇钠反应2.5 h生成3-甲氧基噻吩,产率为82%。再以无水NaHSO4为催化剂,在108~115℃下,3-甲氧基噻吩分别与异丁醇、异戊醇、异辛醇发生取代反应合成了3-(2-甲基丙氧基)噻吩、3-(3-甲基丁氧基)噻吩、3-(2-乙基己氧基)噻吩,反应时间分别为:3、3.5、4h,收率分别为72%、67%、63%。这些化合物结构都通过IR、1HNMR和MS进行了表征,并对其进行了初步香味评价,结果表明,它们都具有基本肉香味的特征。     

Gold nanoparticles/single-stranded DNA-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites based electrochemical biosensor for highly sensitive detection of cholesterol

High density and uniform distribution of the gold nanoparticles functionalized single-stranded DNA modified reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites were obtained by non-covalent interaction. The positive gold nanoparticles prepared by phase inversion method exhibited good dimensional homogeneity and dispersibility, which could readily combine with single-stranded DNA modified reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites by electrostatic interactions. The modification of single-stranded DNA endowed the reduced graphene oxide with favorable biocompatibility and provided the preferable surface with negative charge for further assembling of gold nanoparticles to obtain gold nanoparticles/single-stranded DNA modified reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites with better conductivity, larger specific surface area, biocompatibility and electrocatalytic characteristics. The as-prepared nanocomposites were applied as substrates for the construction of cholesterol oxidase modified electrode and well realized the direct electron transfer between the enzyme and electrode. The modified gold nanoparticles could further catalyze the products of cholesterol oxidation catalyzed by cholesterol oxidase, which was beneficial to the enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The as-fabricated bioelectrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance for the cholesterol with a linear range of 7.5−280.5 μmol·L⁻¹, a low detection limit of 2.1 μmol·L⁻¹, good stability and reproducibility. Moreover, the electrochemical biosensor showed good selectivity and acceptable accuracy for the detection of cholesterol in human serum samples.     

Poly(2,5‐dimethoxyaniline) films on mild steel for application to glucose biosensor

Poly(2,5‐dimethoxyaniline) (PDMA) films were electrochemically synthesized on mild steel from an aqueous oxalic acid solution using galvanostatic mode. These films were characterized by potential–time curve, UV‐visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) was entrapped into the PDMA film by a physical adsorption method. The resulting PDMA–GOx films were characterized by UV‐visible absorption spectroscopy, FTIR, and SEM. The amperometric response of the PDMA–GOx films was measured as a function of glucose concentration in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.3). The PDMA–GOx films exhibit a fast and linear amperometric response in the range of 2–20 mM glucose. The maximum current density and Michaelis–Menten constant of PDMA/GOx films are found to be ～483 μA/cm² and 1.12 mM, respectively. The shelf stability and thermal stability of these films were also investigated. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Intermolecular segregation of siloxane in P3HT: surface quantification and molecular surface-structure

Surfaces of spin-coated and solution-cast poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films are analysed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Low Energy Ion Scattering. Here, we use the P3HT-siloxane system with only 2% siloxane monomers in the bulk as a model system to study segregation and surface orientation of molecules in polymers. The surfaces are enriched in siloxane due to the intermolecular segregation of the siloxanes present in P3HT. The siloxane coverage fraction was found to depend on the preparation parameters such as spinspeed and solution-concentration, and ranges from 25 to 100%.The molecular orientation of segregated siloxanes on P3HT was found to resemble that on pure PDMS. Furthermore, siloxane molecules prefer specific sites on P3HT, such that sulphur atoms are screened from being at the outermost surface to lower the surface free energy. The results presented here demonstrate clearly the unique ability of LEIS to quantify the composition of the outermost atomic layer, and to obtain detailed information on the surface structure.     

Kinetic study for implementation of a disposable “redox-flexible” glucose biosensor

A “redox-flexible” reagentless amperometric biosensor that can function either in oxidation or reduction and can cover large ranges of substrate concentrations has been developed for glucose measurements. Glucose oxidase (GOx) either uses O₂ as its natural electron acceptor and produces H₂O₂ or uses artificial electron acceptors like ferricinium derivatives. To broaden the range of working potentials, peroxidase enzyme (HRP) was added to GOx, offering the alternative to correlate the glucose concentration to the reduction current of the ferricinium that results from H₂O₂ oxidation of ferrocene. In such a configuration, the same ferrocene/ferricinium couple acts as a redox mediator for both enzymatic reactions involving GOx and HRP. Two ferrocenes were used in this study: Fc(CH₂OH)₂, substituted by electron-donor groups, and FcCOOH, substituted by an electron-withdrawing group. The rates of the reactions involved were determined, and the calibration curves in cathodic and anodic mode were drawn. The comparative study showed that for glucose measurement, the [FcCOOH]/[FcCOOH]⁺ couple is best suited to act as mediator in the construction of a “redox-flexible” glucose biosensor.     

Construction of a choline biosensor through enzyme immobilization on a poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐grafted Teflon film

An amperometric choline biosensor was constructed by immobilizing choline oxidase (ChO) on poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)‐grafted Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE) film. Grafting was achieved by γ irradiation. PHEMA‐grafted Teflon films were activated with epichlorohydrin or glutaraldehyde to achieve covalent immobilization of enzyme onto the film. To decrease the diffusional barrier caused by the enzyme‐immobilized film, the film was stretched directly on the electrode. The PHEMA‐grafted Teflon film, therefore, had to have appropriate mechanical properties. Glucose oxidase (GOD) was used in the determination of optimum immobilization conditions, then these were applied to ChO. With GOD, the effect of activation type and film position in electrode on enzyme activity was studied and the highest catalytic activity was obtained when the enzyme was immobilized using glutaraldehyde and the film was stretched over the electrode surface. Further studies revealed that the films activated with glutaraldehyde, immobilized in 2 mg/mL ChO concentration, and stretched directly on the electrode were suitable (specific activity, 0.427 ± 0.068 U mg^?1) for use in the choline biosensor. The linear working range of this biosensor was found to be 52–348 μM, with a 40 ± 5 μM minimum detection limit. The response of the sensor, however, decreased linearly upon repeated use. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007