Electropolymerization sensors

Entrapment of biochemically reactive molecules into conductive polymer substrates is being used to develop electrochemical biosensors (212). This has proven especially useful for the incorporation of enzymes that retain their specific chemical reactivity. Electropolymerization of pyrrole in an aqueous solution containing glucose oxidase (GO) leads to a polypyrrole in which the GO enzyme is co-deposited with the polymer. These polymer-entrapped GO electrodes have been used as glucose sensors. A direct relationship is seen between the electrode response and the glucose concentration in the solution which was analyzed with a typical measurement taking between 20 to 40 s. 

Other usefiil gas sensors include the potentiometric ammonia (64) or hydrogen cyanide probes (65), and amperometric carbon monoxide (66) and nitrogen dioxide (67) devices. The hydrogen cyanide probe is an example of a modem device that relies on changes in the conductivity of electropolymerized film (polyanihne) in the presence of a given gas. 

C. Malitesta, F. Palmisano, L. Torsi, and P. Zambonin, Glucose fast-response amperometric sensor based on glucose oxidase immobilized in an electropolymerized poly(o-phenylenediamine) film. Anal. Chem. 

Although much less so than pyrrole polymers, indole polymers are beginning to be synthesized and studied as new materials. Electropolymerized films of indole-5-carboxylic acid are well-suited for the fabrication of micro pH sensors and they have been used to measure ascorbate and NADH levels. The three novel pyrroloindoles shown have been electrochemically polymerized, and the polymeric pyrrolocarbazole has similar physical properties to polyaniline. 

Panasyuk TL, Mirsky VM, Piletsky SA, Wolfheis OS. Electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymers as receptor layers in a capacitive chemical sensor. Anal Chem... 

Perform galvanostatic electropolymerization of aniline on the GC disk electrode by applying a constant current of + 0.014 mA (0.2mA/cm2) for 714 s. The electropolymerization conditions are similar to those used for poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (see Procedure 4) and were found to give well-functioning sensors for this particular application, so therefore no further optimization was done. 

MWCNTs were functionalized with iron phthalocyanines (FePc) to improve the sensitivity towards hydrogen peroxide. A highly sensitive glucose sensor with an FePc-MWCNT electrode based on the immobilization of GOx on poly(o-amino-phenol) (POAP)-electropolymerized electrode surface [219]. A hemin-modified MWCNT electrode to be used as a novel 02 sensor was obtained by adsorption of hemin at MWCNTs and the electrochemical properties of the electrode were characterized by cyclic voltammetry [220]. 

Biosensors based on carbon fiber ultramicroelectrodes have been used to determine pyruvate (2) and glucose (3). Glucose sensors using platinum ultramicroelectrodes have also been reported (4), including the entrapment of glucose oxidase in an electropolymerized film of polyaniline (5,6). Ikariyama and co-workers have used platinum ultramicroelectrodes modified with platinum black to construct very sensitive glucose sensors (7-13). 

The effects of fouling were studied by obtaining glucose calibration curves for two ultramicrobiosensors, one without electropolymerized film, the other with poly(1,3-DAB). Both sensors were then placed in a solution containing 3% w/v bovine serum albumin, at temperature of 4°C, for 6 h. After 6 h, both sensors were again calibrated. 

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