• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.551-557
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• 2013

In the present study, pristine carbon nanotube (p-CNT) and thiolated carbon naotube (t-CNT) electrodes were investigated to improve their detectabilities for cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). In addition, we evaluate which reaction mechanism is used when the electrolyte contains both Cd and Pb metals. Square wave stripping was employed for analyzing the sensitivity for the metals. A frequency of 30 Hz, a deposition potential of -1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl and a deposition time of 300 s were used as optimal SWSV parameters. t-CNT electrodes show the better sensitivity for both Cd and Pb metals than that of p-CNT electrodes. In case of Cd, sensitivities of p-CNT and t-CNT electrodes were $3.1{\mu}A/{\mu}M$ and $4.6{\mu}A/{\mu}M$, respectively, while the sensitivities for Pb were $6.5{\mu}A/{\mu}M$ (p-CNT) and $9.9{\mu}A/{\mu}M$ (t-CNT), respectively. The better sensitivity of p-CNT electrodes is due to the enhancement in the reaction rate of metal ions that are facilitated by thiol groups attached on the surface of CNT. When sensitivity was measured for the detection of Cd and Pb metals present simultaneously in the electrolyte, Pb indicates better sensitivity than Cd irrespective of electrode types. It is ascribed to the low standard electrode potential of Pb, which then promotes the possibility of oxidation reaction of the Pb metal ions. In turn, the Pb metal ions are deposited on the electrode surface faster than that of Cd metal ions and cover the electrode surface during deposition step, and thus Pb metals that cover the large portion of the surface are more easily stripped than that of Cd metals during stripping step.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.258-263
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• 2023

In this study, conductive polymers and the enzyme tyrosinase (Tyr) were deposited on the surface of a screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE), which can be fabricated as a disposable sensor chip, and applied to the detection of bisphenol F (BPF), an endocrine disruptor with proven links to male diseases and thyroid disorders, using electrochemical methods. On the surface of the SPCE working electrode, which was negatively charged by oxygen plasma treatment, a positively charged conductive polymer, poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA), a negatively charged polymer compound, poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), and another layer of PDDA were layered by electrostatic attraction in the order of PDDA, PSS, and finally PDDA. Then, a layer of Tyr, which was negatively charged due to pH adjustment to 7.0, was added to create a PDDA-PSS-PDDA-Tyr sensor for BPF. When the electrode sensor is exposed to a BPF solution, which is the substrate and target analyte, 4,4'-methylenebis(cyclohexa-3,5-diene-1,2-dione) is generated by an oxidation reaction with the Tyr enzyme on the electrode surface. The reduction process of the product at 0.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) generating 4,4'-methylenebis(benzene-1,2-diol) was measured using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetries, resulting in a change in the peak current with respect to the concentration of BPF. In addition, we compared the detection performance of BPF using an ionic liquid electrolyte as an alternative to phosphate-buffered saline, which has been used in many previous sensing studies. Furthermore, the selectivity of bisphenol S, which acts as an interfering substance with a similar structure to BPF, was investigated. Finally, we demonstrated the practical applicability of the sensor by applying it to analyze the concentration of BPF in real samples prepared in the laboratory.