Electrocatalysis, mediated

Theoretical aspects of mediation and electrocatalysis by polymer-coated electrodes have most recently been reviewed by Lyons.12 In order for electrochemistry of the solution species (substrate) to occur, it must either diffuse through the polymer film to the underlying electrode, or there must be some mechanism for electron transport across the film (Fig. 20). Depending on the relative rates of these processes, the mediated reaction can occur at the polymer/electrode interface (a), at the poly-mer/solution interface (b), or in a zone within the polymer film (c). The equations governing the reaction depend on its location,12 which is therefore an important issue. Studies of mediation also provide information on the rate and mechanism of electron transport in the film, and on its permeability. 

Electrocatalysis with mediators located in coatings at the electrode surface is one... 

Apart from the study of physicochemical aspects such as ion solvation, and bio-mimetic aspects such as photosynthesis or carrier-mediated ion transfer (Volkov et al., 1996, 1998), there are several areas of potential applications of electrochemical IBTILE measurements comprising electroanalysis, lipophilicity assessment of drugs, phase transfer catalysis, electro-assisted extraction, and electrocatalysis. 

The idea that the cathode potential with respect to ]lt(H20)/Pt-0Hads determines the value of the pre-exponential factor in the ORR rate expression was inspired by a comment by Andy Gewirth (Urbana) in his talk in Leiden, pointing to the value of Pourbaix diagrams for understanding ORR electrocatalysis. Indeed, the information on these ORR-mediating and facilitating M/M-OH surface redox systems is to be found in Pourbaix s Atlas. 

The choice of immobilization strategy obviously depends on the enzyme, electrode surface, and fuel properties, and on whether a mediator is required, and a wide range of strategies have been employed. Some general examples are represented in Fig. 17.4. Key goals are to stabilize the enzyme under fuel cell operating conditions and to optimize both electron transfer and the efficiency of fuel/oxidant mass transport. Here, we highlight a few approaches that have been particularly useful in electrocatalysis directed towards fuel cell applications. 

Figure 17.4 Cartoon representation of strategies for studying and exploiting enzymes on electrodes that have been used in electrocatalysis for fuel cells, (a) Attachment or physisorption of an enzyme on an electrode such that redox centers in the protein are in direct electronic contact with the surface, (b) Specific attachment of an enzyme to an electrode modified with a substrate, cofactor, or analog that contacts the protein close to a redox center. Examples include attachment of the modifier via a conductive linker, (c) Entrapment of an enzyme within a polymer containing redox mediator molecules that transfer electrons to/from centers in the protein, (d) Attachment of an enzyme onto carbon nanotubes prepared on an electrode, giving a large surface area conducting network with direct electron transfer to each enzyme molecule.

There have been a number of reports of electrocatalysis of alcohol oxidation using immobilized PQQ-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases or flavin-containing alcohol dehydrogenases or oxidases with dissolved mediators in solution. Co-immobihzing the mediator with the enzyme is advantageous, as set out in Section 17.1, and several such strategies have been employed for electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation. 

Fuel cells based on unmediated electrocatalysis by heme-containing sugar dehydrogenases have not yet been tested in biological fluids, but may be useful for implantable applications, as they avoid the need for toxic or expensive mediators and have minimal design constraints. Realistically, the lifetime of biofuel cells is still insufficient for biomedical applications requiring surgical installation. 

Modification of electrodes by electroactive polymers has several practical applications. The mediated electron transfer to solution species can be used in electrocatalysis (e.g. oxygen reduction) or electrochemical synthesis. For electroanalysis, preconcentration of analysed species in an ion-exchange film may remarkably increase the sensitivity (cf. Section 2.6.4). Various... 

The thing to be noted here is that the ° values of the 02/ 02" and 02" H202 redox couples are -0.35 and 0.68 V vs Ag/AgCl at pH 7.4 and thus the SODs, for example, Cu, Zn-SOD (Cu (I/II)) with ° = 65mV can mediate both the oxidation of 02 to 02 and the reduction of 02" to H202. Such a bi-directional electromediation (electrocatalysis) by the SOD/SAM electrode is essentially based on the inherent specificity of the SOD enzyme which catalyzes the dismutation of 02 to 02 and H202 via a redox cycle of their metal complex moiety (Scheme 3). 

Figure 6.7 illustrates the voltammetric response of the third-generation SOD-based 02 biosensors with Cu, Zn-SOD confined onto cystein-modified Au electrode as an example. The presence of 02" in solution essentially increases both the cathodic and anodic peak currents of the SOD compared with its absence [150], Such a redox response was not observed at the bare Au or cysteine-modified Au electrodes in the presence of 02". The observed increase in the anodic and cathodic current response of the Cu, Zn-SOD/cysteine-modified Au electrode in the presence of 02 can be considered to result from the oxidation and reduction of 02, respectively, which are effectively mediated by the SOD confined on the electrode as shown in Scheme 3. Such a bi-directional electromediation (electrocatalysis) by the SOD/cysteine-modified Au electrode is essentially based on the inherent specificity of SOD for the dismutation of 02", i.e. SOD catalyzes both the reduction of 02 to H202 and the oxidation to 02 via a redox cycle of its Cu (II/I) complex moiety as well as the direct electron transfer of SOD realized at the cysteine-modified Au electrode. Thus, this coupling between the electrode and enzyme reactions of SOD could facilitate the development of the third-generation biosensor for 02". ...

The term direct electrochemistry of proteins means the possibility to detect the direct exchange of electrons between the active site(s) of a protein and a (metallic or inert material) electrode without the help of redox mediators, which might favour an indirect interaction between the electrode and the protein (see the discussion on Electrocatalysis in Chapter 2, Section 1.4.4). This aspect of electrochemistry is not yet as widely explored as it deserves, but the relevant results are now analysed in a rather comprehensive fashion.1 ... 

In this particular use of modified electrodes, i.e. electrocatalysis, the immobilized redox couple acts as an electron transfer mediator cycling between the reactive (catalyst) state and its non-catalytic state, as shown schematically in Figure 1. 

Electrocatalysis at a modified electrode is usually an electron transfer reaction, mediated by an immobilized redox couple, between the electrode and some solution substrate which proceeds at a lower overpotential than would otherwise occur at the bare electrode. This type of mediated electrocatalysis process can be represented by the scheme ... 

Mediated electrocatalysis at a polymer-modified electrode charge and mass transport processes. 

One of the most fruitful trends in the comprehension and control of electrochemical reaction kinetics and electrocatalysis has been the development of modified electrodes to achieve redox mediators of solution processes. This strategy is based on the electrochemical activation (through the application of an electrical perturbation to the electrode) of different sites at a modified surface. As a result of this activation, the oxidation or the reduction of other species located in the solution adjacent to the electrode surface (which does not occur or occurs very slowly in the absence of the immobilized catalyst) can take place4 [40, 69, 70]. 

An area currently very active in electrochemical research deals with the design, fabrication and applications of chemically modified electrodes (CME s). The attractiveness of CME s stems from their potential to replace precious metals such as Pt in electrocatalysis for energy production (1-9), energy storage (10-13), electrosynthesis (14-19), electroanalysis (20-28), and other purposes (29-31). One approach has been to "immobilize", either by covalent attachment, strong adsorption or incorporation into polymeric structures, electrochemically active molecules, called mediators, which act as electron transfer bridges between the electrode surface and the solution species. It has been... 

The redox potential of the surface-bound redox couple is an important factor in achieving electrocatalysis, or more correctly, mediated reduction of the analyte. In... 

Metal oxide electrodes have been relatively infrequently employed in electro-organic reactions and, even in those cases which have been moderately well studied, there are still some questions regarding the reaction mechanisms, e.g. whether a surface oxide species mediates the organic transformation or not in the case of oxidation reactions. The study of certain types of model organic compounds, e.g. alcohols and aldehydes, at metal oxide electrodes could lead to further insight into oxide electrocatalysis. 

Electrocatalysis is a type of electrosynthesis that uses surface modified electrodes, or mediators/electrocatalysts to facilitate the redox reaction. Meyer reported the design and synthesis of a chemically modified electrode that consists of a thin polymer film with covalently attached redox sites,designed to facilitate rapid electron transport for electrocatalysis. Complexes of Fe, Ru, Os, Re, and Co were synthesized in such a way that when electrochemically reduced, they reacted to form smooth electroactive polymer films that adhered well to the working electrode to form a chemically modified electrode designed for electrocatalysis. 

Only simple outer-sphere (25) redox reactions involving, for example, complex or aquo ions of transition or certain rare earth elements do not experience electrocatalysis, and their standard rate constants are independent of electrode material. This is because neither the oxidized nor the reduced species are chemisorbed at the electrode. However, practically, many redox systems do experience electrocatalysis on account of significant adsorption of their ions or through mediation of electron transfer by adsorbed anions, in which case the processes are no longer strictly of the outer-sphere type. 

An interesting investigation concerns the use of PPI dendrimers functionalized with both ferrocene and cobaltocenium moieities for glucose biosensor [105, 127], Such dendrimers can exhibit a double function while the ferrocene units act as mediators in enzymatic processes under anaerobic conditions, the cobaltocenium moieties take part in the electrocatalysis in the presence of oxygen. Another major advantage cited of these electrodes is that a large amount of enzyme can be immobilized due to electrostatic interactions between the positive... 

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