Search

This article describes the device design and fabrication of two different configurations (flow-through and stopped-flow) of a sequential fluid delivery platform on a microfluidic paper-based device. The developed device is capable of storing and transporting reagents sequentially to the detection channel without the need for external power. The device comprises two components: an origami folding paper (oPAD) and a movable reagent-stored pad (rPAD). This 3D capillary-driven device eliminates the undesirable procedure of multiple-step reagent manipulation in a complex assay. To demonstrate the scope of this approach, the device is used for electrochemical detection of biological species. Using a flow-through configuration, a self-calibration plot plus real sample analysis using a single buffer introduction are established for ascorbic acid detection. We further broaden the effectiveness of the device to a complex assay using a stopped-flow configuration. Unlike other electrochemical paper-based sensors in which the user is required to cut off the device inlet or rest for the whole channel saturation before measurement, herein a stopped-flow device is carefully designed to exclude the disturbance from the convective mass transport. As a proof of concept, multiple procedures for electrode modification and voltammetric determination of serotonin are illustrated. In addition, the research includes an impedimetric label-free immunosensor for α-fetoprotein using the modified stopped-flow device. The beneficial advantages of simplicity, low sample volume (1 μL), and ability to perform a complex assay qualify this innovative device for use with diverse applications.

Polyaniline/graphene quantum dots (PANI/GQDs) were used to modify a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) in a flow-based system. A method for rapidly determining the Cr(VI) concentrations by using stopped-flow analysis has been developed using an Auto-Pret system coupled with linear-sweep voltammetry using the PANI/GQD-modified SPCE. The GQDs, synthesized in a botton-up manner from citric acid, were mixed with aniline monomer in an optimized ratio. The mixture was injected into an electrochemical flow cell in which electro-polymerization of the aniline monomer occurred. Under conditions optimized for determining Cr(VI), wide linearity was obtained in the range of 0.1-10 mg L(-1), with a detection limit of 0.097 mg L(-1). For a sample volume of 0.5 m L, the modified SPCE can be used continuously with a sample-throughput of more than 90 samples per hour. In addition, this proposed method was successfully applied to mineral water samples with acceptable accuracy, and the quantitative agreement was accomplished in deteriorated Cr-plating solutions with a standard traditional method for Cr(VI) detection., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Flow injection amperometric (FI-Amp) sensor was developed for sensitive and selective determination of hydroquinone. A simple screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was modified with various nanomaterials for improvement of sensitivity on the determination of quinone. As a result, the appropriate sensitivity is obtained from the SPCE modified with carbon nanotube (CNT) which indicated that CNT contributed to the transfer of electron to quinone. The reproducibility (n=9) and repeatability (n=111) of SPCE-CNT were obtained at 4.4% and 3.6%RSD, respectively. The SPCE-CNT electrode and enzymatic column were incorporated to the FI-Amp system to determine hydroquinone. Laccase was immobilized on silica gel using a cross-linking method by glutaraldehyde modification and then packed in the column. The laccase column has high efficiency for catalytic oxidation of hydroquinone to quinone, which further detects by amperometric detection. Parameters affecting response of the proposed sensor, i.e., pH, ionic strength, and temperature have been optimized. The proposed system provided a wide linear range between 1 and 50 µM with detection limit of 0.1 µM. Satisfactory recoveries in the range of 91.2-103.8% were obtained for the analysis of water sample., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An amperometric flow injection (FI) method suitable for evaluation of 'total antioxidant capacity' (TAC) is presented. In this method, a carrier stream of a solution of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH(•)) continuously flows through an electrochemical cell, furnished with a carbon nanotube modified-glassy carbon electrode (CNT/GC) as the working electrode. At the applied voltage of 0.05V (vs. Ag/AgCl), DPPH(•) is reduced resulting in a constant electric current. For measurement of the TAC, a sample zone containing antioxidant(s) is injected into the carrier stream therein reduction reaction of DPPH(•) occurring within the sample zone. The decreased amount of the radical in the sample zone leads to a drop of the amperometric signal at the CNT/GC electrode. We have also compared the performance of the CNT/GC electrode to the unmodified GC electrode using cyclic voltammetry. The sensitivity of the CNT/GC electrode was more than twenty five times greater than the bare GC electrode. The study of the sweep rate dependence showed that the cathodic and anodic current of 0.1mM DPPH solution varied linearly (r(2)=0.998) with the square root of the scan rate, from 0.02 to 0.12 Vs(-1). These results demonstrated that the CNT/GC electrode is appropriate for the quantitation of antioxidants via amperometric detection of the residual concentration of non-reacted DPPH(•). We obtained linear calibrations for all the antioxidants tested including gallic acid, catechin, quercetin, caffeic acid and Trolox. The system offers rapid sample throughput (45 samples h(-1)) and good precision of 3.2% R.S.D., for 20 μL-injection of 2.5 μM Trolox (n=30). This method was applied to evaluate the TAC of extracts of some Thai indigenous vegetables., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The highly sensitive determination of lead (Pb(II)) and cadmium (Cd(II)) ions, with a limit of detection of 0.01μgL(-1) for Pb(II) and Cd(II), by on-line preconcentration and anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) controlled by a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system is reported here. The SIA system consisted of a syringe pump, an 8-port selection valve and a 6-port switching valve and was incorporated with a bismuth coated screen-printed carbon nanotube electrode (Bi-SPCNTE). The preconcentration of metal ions was performed by solid phase extraction using an Analig TE-05 chelating resin mini-column on a switching valve. The metal ions collected were then eluted from the resin with 1M hydrochloric acid (HCl), deposited on the electrode surface at -1.3V vs. Ag/AgCl and then measured with ASV. The pH of the sample, eluent volume, flow rate, concentration of the bismuth plating solution and the square-wave voltammetric parameters were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, an enrichment factor of 11.9-fold and 6.6-fold for Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions, respectively, was attained. Detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II) had two different linear ranges (0.5-15μgL(-1) and 15-70μgL(-1))., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A low-cost thin-layer electrochemical flow-through cell based on a carbon paste electrode (CPE), was constructed for the highly sensitive determination of cadmium(II) (Cd(2+)) and lead(II) (Pb(2+)) ions. The sensitivity of the proposed cell for Cd(2+) and Pb(2+) ion detection was improved by using the smallest channel height without the need for any complicated electrode modification. Under the optimum conditions, the detection limits of Cd(2+) and Pb(2+) ions (0.08 and 0.07 µg dm(-3), respectively) were 13.8- and 11.4-fold lower than that of a commercial flow cell (1.1 and 0.8 µg dm(-3), respectively). Moreover, the percentage recoveries of Cd(2+) and Pb(2+) for the in-house designed thin-layer flow cell were higher than those for the commercially available cell in all tested water samples, and within the acceptable range. The proposed flow cell is promising as an inexpensive and alternative one for the highly sensitive monitoring of heavy metal ions., (2012 © The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry)

In this work, the rapid detection of cholesterol using poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchip capillary electrophoresis, based on the coupling of enzymatic assays and electrochemical detection, was developed. Direct amperometric detection for poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip capillary electrophoresis was successfully applied to quantify cholesterol levels. Factors influencing the performance of the method (such as the concentration and pH value of buffer electrolyte, concentration of cholesterol oxidase enzyme (ChOx), effect of solvent on the cholesterol solubility, and interferences) were carefully investigated and optimized. The migration time of hydrogen peroxide, product of the reaction, was less than 100 s when using 40 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 as the running buffer, a concentration of 0.68 U/mL of the ChOx, a separation voltage of +1.6 kV, an injection time of 20s, and a detection potential of +0.5 V. PDMS microchip capillary electrophoresis showed linearity between 38.7 μg/dL (1 μM) and 270.6 mg/dL (7 mM) for the cholesterol standard; the detection limit was determined as 38.7 ng/dL (1 nM). To demonstrate the potential of this assay, the proposed method was applied to quantify cholesterol in bovine serum. The percentages of recoveries were assessed over the range of 98.9-101.8%. The sample throughput was found to be 60 samples per hour. Therefore, PDMS microchip capillary electrophoresis, based on the coupling of enzymatic assays and electrochemical detection, is very rapid, accurate and sensitive method for the determination of cholesterol levels., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel lab-on-paper device combining electrochemical and colorimetric detection for the rapid screening of Au(III) in the presence of a common interference, Fe(III), in industrial waste solutions is presented here. With dilute aqua regia (0.1 M HCl + 0.05 M HNO(3)) as the supporting electrolyte, square wave voltammetry on paper provided a well-defined reduction peak for Au(III) at approximately 287 +/- 12 mV vs Ag/AgCl. Under the optimized working conditions, the calibration curve showed good linearity in the concentration range of 1-200 ppm of Au(III) with a correlation coefficient of 0.997. The limit of detection (LOD) of the proposed method is 1 ppm. Interferences from various cations were also studied. Fe(III) is the only metal that affects the electrochemical determination of Au(III) when present above a 2.5-fold excess concentration of that of the Au(III). To overcome this limitation, a colorimetric method was used to simultaneously detect Fe(III) as a screening tool. The procedure was then successfully applied to determine Au(III) in gold-refining waste solutions. The results are in agreement with those obtained from inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES).

We report the first demonstration of electrochemical detection for paper-based microfluidic devices. Photolithography was used to make microfluidic channels on filter paper, and screen-printing technology was used to fabricate electrodes on the paper-based microfluidic devices. Screen-printed electrodes on paper were characterized using cyclic voltammetry to demonstrate the basic electrochemical performance of the system. The utility of our devices was then demonstrated with the determination of glucose, lactate, and uric acid in biological samples using oxidase enzyme (glucose oxidase, lactate oxidase, and uricase, respectively) reactions. Oxidase enzyme reactions produce H2O2 while decomposing their respective substrates, and therefore a single electrode type is needed for detection of multiple species. Selectivity of the working electrode for H2O2 was improved using Prussian Blue as a redox mediator. The determination of glucose, lactate, and uric acid in control serum samples was performed using chronoamperometry at the optimal detection potential for H2O2 (0 V versus the on-chip Ag/AgCl reference electrode). Levels of glucose and lactate in control serum samples measured using the paper devices were 4.9 +/- 0.6 and 1.2 +/- 0.2 mM (level I control sample), and 16.3 +/- 0.7 and 3.2 +/- 0.3 mM (level II control sample), respectively, and were within error of the values measured using traditional tests. This study shows the successful integration of paper-based microfluidics and electrochemical detection as an easy-to-use, inexpensive, and portable alternative for point of care monitoring.

In this paper, we have critically evaluated the electrochemical behavior of the products of seven substrates of the enzyme label, alkaline phosphate, commonly used in electrochemical immunosensors. These products (and the corresponding substrates) include indigo carmine (3-indoyl phosphate), hydroquinone (hydroquinone diphosphate), 4-nitrophenol (4-nitrophenol phosphate), 4-aminophenol (p-aminophenyl phosphate), 1-naphthol (1-naphthyl phosphate), phenol (phenyl phosphate), and L-ascorbic acid (2-phospho-L-ascorbic acid). Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry of these products were carried out at glassy carbon (GC), screen-printed carbon (SPC) and gold (Au) electrodes, respectively. Among the products, L-ascorbic acid showed the most sensitive (24.8 microA cm(-2), 12.0 microA cm(-2), and 48.0 microA cm(-2) of 100 microM ascorbic acid at GC, SPC, and Au electrodes, respectively) and well-defined amperometric response at all electrodes used, making 2-phospho-l-ascorbic acid the best substrate in electrochemical detection involving an alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme label. The 2-phospho-L-ascorbic acid is also commercially available and inexpensive. Therefore, it was the best choice for electrochemical detection using ALP as label. Using mouse IgG as a model, an ALP enzyme-amplified sandwich-type amperometric immunosensor was constructed. The immunosensor was designed by electropolymerization of o-aminobenzoic acid (o-ABA) conductive polymer on the surface of GC, SPC, and Au electrodes. The anti-mouse IgG was subsequently attached on the electrode surface through covalent bonding between IgG antibody and the carboxyl groups from poly(o-ABA). Using 2-phospho-L-ascorbic acid as a substrate, the poly(o-ABA)/Au immunosensor produced the best signal (about 297 times of current density response ratio between 1000 ng mL(-1) and 0 ng mL(-1) of mouse IgG), demonstrating that amperometric immunosensors based on a conducting polymer electrode system were sensitive to concentrations of the mouse IgG down to 1 ng mL(-1), with a linear range of 3-200 ng mL(-1) (S.D.<2; n=3), and very low non-specific adsorption.

The electrochemical behaviors of native and thermally denatured fish DNA was investigated using boron-doped diamond (BDD) film electrode by cyclic voltammetry. The BDD electrode afforded us to measure weak current less than muA for the DNA solution in 100 microl. The mixture of acetic acid and sodium acetate solution (0.2 M) was used as a supporting electrolyte. Two oxidation peaks were observed at about +1.1 V and +1.3 V at pH 4.6 for thermally denatured fish DNA. This is due to the oxidation of guanine and adenine in the denatured fish DNA, respectively. In contrast, the native fish DNA showed ill-defined peaks at +1.1 V. Furthermore, the electrochemical behaviors of thermally denatured fish DNA were studied in the presence of cytosine, cytidine, cytidine-5-monophosphate, tetrakis(1-methypyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (H(2)(TMPyP)(4+)) and Ru(II)(TMPyP)(4+). The oxidation peak intensity at +1.1 V gradually decreased with the increase of the concentrations of the above compounds. Based on the above studies, electrochemical behaviors of the thermally denatured fish DNA at BDD electrode is discussed.

The analysis of tetracycline, oxytetracyline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline by high-performance liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection using an anodized boron-doped diamond thin film (BDD) electrode is originally reported. The analyses were carried out using the mobile phase, phosphate buffer (0.01 M, pH 2.5)-acetonitrile (80:20; v/v), on a C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The optimal PAD waveform parameters at the anodized BDD were 1.5 V (versus Ag/AgCl) detection potential (E(det)) for 290 ms (200 ms delay time and 90 ms integration time), 2.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl) oxidation potential (E(oxd)) for 200 ms oxidation time (t(oxd)) and 0.4 V (versus Ag/AgCI) reduction potential (E(red)) for 200 ms reduction time (t(red)). The proposed method showed the simultaneous determination of tetracycline, oxytetracyline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline with a linear range of 0.1 - 100 microg/mL, detection limits of 0.05 - 0.1 microg/mL and recoveries of 70.8 - 96.0%. The application of this method to real samples was demonstrated and validated using a shrimp sample.

The electrooxidation of tiopronin at diamond film electrodes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. Comparison experiments were performed with glassy carbon electrodes. At the diamond film electrode, it was found that tiopronin provided highly reproducible and well-defined cyclic voltammograms, with peak potential at a potential of +0.8 V versus Ag/AgCl. Conversely, tiopronin gave ill-defined cyclic voltammograms at the glassy carbon electrode. The linearity at diamond film electrode was observed over the range of 0.05–10 mmol l−1 and the detection limit of 50 μmol l−1 (S/B≥3). In addition, the amperometric hydrodynamic voltammetry along with flow injection analysis with diamond electrode as the working electrode was studied. A detection potential of +0.8 V was chosen, at which tiopronin exhibited the highest signal-to-background ratios. The flow injection analysis results showed the significant low detection limit of 10 nmol l−1 (S/N&ap;3) and a linear dynamic range of 0.5–50 μmol l−1. The method was applied to the determination of tiopronin in a pharmaceutical formulation. According to the procedure based on the standard addition technique, the recoveries obtained were 96.5–108.3% and the RSD values were 1.10–1.62% (n=10). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A boron-doped diamond thin film (BDD) electrode was first used to study the electroanalysis of captopril in phosphate buffer (pH=9) by several techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, hydrodynamic voltammetry and flow injection with amperometric detection. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the reaction as a function of concentration of analyte. The results were compared with a glassy carbon (GC) electrode at the same condition. Captopril undergoes irreversible reaction at both electrodes. However, the BDD electrode provided highly reproducible, well-resolved cyclic voltammogram and higher signal-to-background (S/B) ratio comparing with GC electrode. Linear range from 50 μM to 3 mM and detection limit of 25 μM (S/B&ap;3) were obtained from the BDD electrode using cyclic voltammetry. The potential sweep rate dependence of captopril oxidation (peak currents for 1 mM captopril linearly proportional to v1/2, within the range of 0.01 to 0.3 V s−1) indicates that the oxidation current is diffusion controlled with negligible adsorption on the BDD surface. The flow injection experiments of the BDD electrode at the concentration from 0.5 to 100 μM provided a linear dynamic range and very low detection limit of 10 nM were obtained (S/N&ap;3). In addition, the determination of captopril in the commercial available tablets by flow injection system with amperometric detection at diamond electrodes has also been investigated. The results show very good precision (1.21–2.15%). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]