Amperometric Sensor for Detection of Chloride Ions

A highly sensitive, long-time stable Ag/AgCl ultra-micro sensor for in situ monitoring chloride ions inside the crevice using SECM

Tracking the variation of Cl- timely within the crevice is of great significance for comprehending the dynamic mechanism of crevice corrosion. The reported chloride ion selective electrodes are difficult to realize the long-time Cl- detection inside the confined crevice, due to their millimeter size or a relative limited lifespan. For this purpose, an Ag/AgCl ultra-micro sensor (UMS) with a radius of 12.5 μm was fabricated and optimized using laser drawing and electrodeposition techniques. Results show the AgCl film's structure is significantly impacted by the deposited current density, and further affects the linear response, life span and stability of Ag/AgCl UMS. The UMS prepared at current density of 0.1 mA/cm2 for 2 h shows a rapid response (several seconds), excellent stability and reproducibility, strong acid/alkali tolerance, sufficient linearity (R2 > 0.99), and long lifespan (86 days). Moreover, combined with the potentiometric mode of scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM), the Ag/AgCl UMS was successfully applied to monitor the in-situ radial Cl- concentration in micro-regions inside a 100 μm gap of stainless steel. The findings demonstrated that there was obvious radial difference in Cl- concentration inside the crevice, where the fastest rise in Cl- concentration was at the opening. The proposed method which combines the UMS with SECM has attractive practical applications for microzone Cl- monitoring in real time inside crevice. It may further promote the study of other localized corrosion mechanism and the development of microzone ions detection method.

Green and Integrated Wearable Electrochemical Sensor for Chloride Detection in Sweat

Wearable sensors for sweat biomarkers can provide facile analyte capability and monitoring for several diseases. In this work, a green wearable sensor for sweat absorption and chloride sensing is presented. In order to produce a sustainable device, polylactic acid (PLA) was used for both the substrate and the sweat absorption pad fabrication. The sensor material for chloride detection consisted of silver-based reference, working, and counter electrodes obtained from upcycled compact discs. The PLA substrates were prepared by thermal bonding of PLA sheets obtained via a flat die extruder, prototyped in single functional layers via CO₂ laser cutting, and bonded via hot-press. The effect of cold plasma treatment on the transparency and bonding strength of PLA sheets was investigated. The PLA membrane, to act as a sweat absorption pad, was directly deposited onto the membrane holder layer by means of an electrolyte-assisted electrospinning technique. The membrane adhesion capacity was investigated by indentation tests in both dry and wet modes. The integrated device made of PLA and silver-based electrodes was used to quantify chloride ions. The calibration tests revealed that the proposed sensor platform could quantify chloride ions in a sensitive and reproducible way. The chloride ions were also quantified in a real sweat sample collected from a healthy volunteer. Therefore, we demonstrated the feasibility of a green and integrated sweat sensor that can be applied directly on human skin to quantify chloride ions.

Silver-manganese nanocomposite modified screen-printed carbon electrode in the fabrication of an electrochemical, disposable biosensor strip for cystic fibrosis

A silver-manganese nanocomposite was successfully prepared by the urea hydrolysis method and used to detect chloride ions in sweat electrochemically. The synthesis involves the reaction of manganese sulphate, silver nitrate, and urea at 100 °C for 24 h. The crystalline nature of the particle was studied by diffraction analysis and found to be mixed-phase oxides of manganese alongside the oxides of silver. Morphological studies revealed the presence of quasi-prism-like structures, which is characteristic of β-MnO₂. A disposable sensor was fabricated by screen-printing the catalyst and used for the electrochemical detection of chloride ions in sweat. The sensor exhibited good selectivity, a sensitivity of 22.93 ± 0.64 µA mM^-1 cm^-2 in solution and 3010 ± 60 µA (log mM) ^-1 cm^-2 for the fabricated sensor strip with a detection range from 5 mM up to 200 mM. The detection limit is 207 ± 7 µM (S/N = 3) in solution and 17 ± 6 µM for the fabricated sensor strip. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of sensor response is 2.38%. A prototype of the biosensor strip was fabricated and validated using real samples. This brings the possibility of developing a real-time biosensor strip for cystic fibrosis in point-of-care testing applications.

Low-Cost Potentiometric Sensor for Chloride Measurement in Continuous Industrial Process Control

Recently, the new updates in legislation about drinking water control and human health have increased the demand for novel electrochemical low-cost sensors, such as potentiometric ones. Nowadays, the determination of chloride ion in aqueous solutions has attracted great attention in several fields, from industrial processes to drinking water control. Indeed, chloride plays a crucial role in corrosion, also influencing the final taste of beverages, especially coffee. The main goal is to obtain devices suitable for continuous and real-time analysis. For these reasons, we investigated the possibility to develop an easy, low-cost potentiometric chloride sensor, able to perform analysis in aqueous mediums for long immersion time and reducing the need of periodic calibration. We realized a chloride ion selective electrode made of Ag/AgCl sintered pellet and we tested its response in model solutions compatible with drinking water. The sensor was able to produce a stable, reproducible, and accurate quantification of chloride in 900 s, without the need for a preliminary calibration test. This opens the route to potential applications of this sensor in continuous, in situ, and real time measurement of chloride ions in industrial processes, with a reduced need for periodic maintenance.

Electrochemical detection of chloride ions using Ag-based electrodes obtained from compact disc

In this work electrochemical sensors fabricated from compact disc material (waste or new) are used to quantify chloride ions in different types of samples. All three electrodes, working, counter, and pseudo-reference electrodes, were fabricated from the compact disc and directly used. Different parameters were studied in order to demonstrate the possibility of using this waste material for efficient and low-cost electrochemical sensors. Chloride sensing performance was evaluated using linear scan voltammetry as the detection technique. A sensitivity of 0.174 mA mM^-1 cm^-2 with a limit of detection of 20 μM and excellent selectivity against many interferents was observed. Selectivity and reproducibility tests were also carried out, showing excellent results. Sensors were also validated with real samples (drinking and sea water, milk, sweat and physiological solutions) with results comparable to conventional techniques. Our results show the applicability and suitability of these low-cost sensors, for detection of those analytes for which, silver, has high sensitivity and selectivity.

A novel chloride selective potentiometric sensor based on graphitic carbon nitride/silver chloride (g-C3N4/AgCl) composite as the sensing element

In this research, AgCl anchored graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) was introduced as a novel potentiometric sensing element. A g-C₃N₄/AgCl-modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) was fabricated and used as an outstandingly selective potentiometric sensor to determine Cl^- in water samples. The g-C₃N₄/AgCl nanocomposite was characterized with SEM, XRD and FT-IR techniques. It was demonstrated that, the incorporation of 5% of g-C₃N₄/AgCl, as a chloride ionophore in a CPE, results in a stable potential response of the electrode to chloride ion. The Nernstian slope of the electrode response was 55.4 (±0.3) mVdecade^-1, over a wide linear concentration range of 1 × 10^-6-1 × 10^-1 mol L^-1 and the detection limit of the electrode was estimated to be 4.0 × 10^-7 mol L^-1. The g-C₃N₄/AgCl-modified CPE electrode provided fast response time and long-term stability (more than 2 months) while the potential interfering ions such as I^-, Br^-, and CN^- showed no significant effect on the potential response. Since these interfering ions affected the response of the CPE electrode, modified with AgCl, highlighting the interesting effect of g-C₃N₄ on the sensor performance. This innovative electrode was shown to be a sensitive and accurate sensor for chloride ion content estimation in water samples.

Micro-fabricated electrochemical chloride ion sensors: From the present to the future

The real-time detection and monitoring of chloride ion concentrations play important roles in broad industrial applications, including wearable health care device, environmental pollutant control and infrastructure corrosion monitoring. The development of all-solid-state micro-fabricated electrochemical sensors has enabled the miniaturisation of these testing devices. This study reviewed the micro-fabricated electrochemical chloride sensors developed since 1970s, together with a brief summary regarding the progression of miniaturised electrochemical sensors in the past half century. Three major types of electrochemical chloride sensors with specific ion-selectivity have been discussed, the potentiometric sensors (including both ion-selective electrodes and chemical FETs), the chronopotentiometric sensors and the voltammetric sensors. In addition, colorimetric sensors, an emerging low-cost, portable, fast diagnose sensor technique has been included in this review. Four critical sensor performances have been reviewed and compared systematically, the sensibility (chloride concentration range), selectivity, lifetime and applicable pH ranges. The future perspectives for engineering applications proposed in this review will benefit the further development of integrated multi-functional sensors, as well as new instrumental testing methods.

Simplified synthesis of silver nanoparticles on graphene oxide and their applications in electrocatalysis

In this work the possibility of synthesizing in situ silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on graphene oxide (GO) surfaces without commonly used additional reducing or alkalizing agents or increased temperature was investigated. Using diverse microscopic (atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy) and spectroscopic methods, it was proved that very small AgNPs were formed on GO by simple incubation for 2 h in a mixture of GO dispersion and AgNO₃. The prepared nanomaterial (GO_Ag) was also assessed using electrochemical methods, and it exhibited electrochemical behavior similar to the GO_Ag nanomaterial prepared with a help of citric acid as a reducing agent. Furthermore, it was found that (i) the electrochemical reduction of the GO_Ag on the electrode surface decreased the voltammetric response even though this step increased the surface conductivity and (ii) GO_Ag can be employed for the sensing of chlorides with a detection limit of 79 μM and a linear range of up to 10 mM. It could also provide an electrochemical response toward the chloroacetanilide herbicide metazachlor. Hence, the reducing capabilities of GO were proved to be applicable for in situ synthesis of metal nanoparticles with the highest possible simplification, and the as-prepared nanomaterials could be employed for fabrication of different electrochemical sensors.

Investigation of Sensitivities and Drift Effects of the Arrayed Flexible Chloride Sensor Based on RuO₂/GO at Different Temperatures

We investigate the temperature effect on sensing characteristics and drift effect of an arrayed flexible ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂)/graphene oxide (GO) chloride sensor at different solution temperatures between 10 °C and 50 °C. The average sensor sensitivities according to our experimental results were 28.2 ± 1.4 mV/pCl (10 °C), 42.5 ± 2.0 mV/pCl (20 °C), 47.1 ± 1.8 mV/pCl (30 °C), 54.1 ± 2.01 mV/pCl (40 °C) and 46.6 ± 2.1 mV/pCl (50 °C). We found the drift effects of an arrayed flexible RuO₂/GO chloride sensor in a 1 M NaCl solution to be between 8.2 mV/h and 2.5 mV/h with solution temperatures from 10 °C to 50 °C.

InN/InGaN quantum dot electrochemical devices: new solutions for energy and health

A review is given of the exceptional electrochemical performance of epitaxial InN/InGaN quantum dots (QDs) as photoelectrodes for solar hydrogen generation by water splitting, as biosensor transducers and as anion-selective electrodes, and they are also evaluated as supercapacitor electrodes. The performance is benchmarked against the best performances of other reported materials and nanostructures. A model based on the unique interplay of surface and quantum properties is put forward to understand the boost of catalytic activity and anion selectivity interlinking quantum nanostructure physics with electrochemistry and catalysis. Of equal impact is the direct growth on cheap Si substrates without any buffer layers, allowing novel device designs and integration with Si technology. This makes the InN/InGaN QDs viable, opening up new application fields for III-nitride semiconductors.

Behaviour of zinc complexes and zinc sulphide nanoparticles revealed by using screen printed electrodes and spectrometry

In this study, we focused on microfluidic electrochemical analysis of zinc complexes (Zn(phen)(his)Cl₂, Zn(his)Cl₂) and ZnS quantum dots (QDs) using printed electrodes. This method was chosen due to the simple (easy to use) instrumentation and variable setting of flows. Reduction signals of zinc under the strictly defined and controlled conditions (pH, temperature, flow rate, accumulation time and applied potential) were studied. We showed that the increasing concentration of the complexes (Zn(phen)(his)Cl₂, Zn(his)Cl₂) led to a decrease in the electrochemical signal and a significant shift of the potential to more positive values. The most likely explanation of this result is that zinc is strongly bound in the complex and its distribution on the electrode is very limited. Changing the pH from 3.5 to 5.5 resulted in a significant intensification of the Zn(II) reduction signal. The complexes were also characterized by UV/VIS spectrophotometry, chromatography, and ESI-QTOF mass spectrometry.