Changqing Sun

Pt-Pb nanowire array electrode for enzyme-free glucose detection

Pt-Pb nanowire array was directly synthesized by electrochemical deposition of Pt-Pb alloy into the pores of microporous polycarbonate template and subsequent chemical etching of the template. The morphology and the composition of the Pt-Pb nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the Pt-Pb nanowire array electrode (Pt-PbNAE). Direct glucose oxidation on Pt-PbNAE was investigated in detail by discussing the effect of the structure and materials of the electrode on electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose. As a result, we found that the Pt-PbNAE with a three-dimensional structure exhibited high electrocatalytic activity to glucose oxidation in neutral condition and could be used for the development of nonenzymatic glucose sensor. To effectively avoid the interference coming from ascorbic acid, a negative potential of -0.20V was chosen for glucose detection, and the sensitivity of the sensor to glucose oxidation was 11.25 microAmM(-1)cm(-2) with a linearity up to 11 mM, and a detection limit of 8 microM (signal-to-noise ratio of 3).

Gold nanoparticle multilayer films based on surfactant films as a template: Preparation, characterization, and application

Highly ordered gold nanoparticle multilayer films were achieved conveniently using didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) films as a template. The template was produced by casting DDAB chloroform solution onto the surface of a (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane-modified indium tin oxide substrate and then evaporating the organic solvent. Gold nanoparticle multilayer films were prepared by soaking the template in 2.6 nm colloidal gold solution for 120 min. The well-ordered superlattice structure of the DDAB template and the gold nanoparticle multilayer films was identified by x-ray diffraction. The characterizations of the gold nanoparticle multilayer films by UV-vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and cyclic voltammerty were described in detail. The application of the as-prepared gold nanoparticle multilayer films in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was investigated by using Rhodamine 6G as a probe molecule. It was found that the colloidal gold nanoparticle multilayer films exhibit remarkable enhancement ability and can be used as SERS substrates.

Self-assembled monolayers of CH3COS- terminated surfactant-encapsulated polyoxometalate complexes.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surfaces based on three kinds of acetylthio-surfactant-encapsulated polyoxometalate clusters (thio-SECs) terminated with multiple CH(3)COS- groups, (NC(26)H(55)S(CO)CH(3))(6)H(2)[Co(H(2)O)CoW(11)O(39)], (NC(26)H(55)S(CO)CH(3))(13)H(3)[Co(4)(H(2)O)(2)(P(2)W(15)O(56))(2)], and (NC(26)H(55)S(CO)CH(3))(13)[Fe(4)(H(2)O)(2)(P(2)W(15)O(56))(2)]Br, have been prepared, which is representative of a general methodology to fabricate polyoxometalate-based SAMs. Thio-SECs self-assembled into monolayers on gold surfaces through the hydrolysis of CH(3)COS- groups and the subsequent formation of S-Au bonds, which was confirmed by grazing angle infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ellipsometric and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements. Furthermore, the SAMs of the thio-SECs possess closely packed structures, and the local short-range order is clearly observed in the magnified STM image. We have also investigated the electrochemical behavior of SAMs of thio-SECs by cyclic voltammetry in detail, and the redox potential of the original polyoxometalates has been well retained. The electrochemical signals of the SAMs are very weak because of the small moiety of thio-SECs that are electrochemically accessible in the cyclic voltammetry experiments. The polyoxometalate-modified electrodes that we prepared are not only highly ordered in the local short range but also stable in electrochemical cycling because of the multiple S-Au bonds of thio-SECs on the gold substrates that aid in the construction of functional materials such as electrochemical and electrocatalytic devices.