Surface modified NO sensors

Surface modified NO sensors incorporate an electrode surface that has been modified or treated in some way so as to increase the selectivity of the sensor for NO and promote catalytic oxidation of NO. An early example of such a sensor was presented by Malinski and Taha in 1992 [27], In this publication an —500nm diameter carbon fiber electrode was coated with tetrakis(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin, via oxidative polymerization, and Nation. This electrode was shown to have a detection limit of — lOnM for NO and great selectivity against common interferences. However, recently it has been shown that this electrode suffers severe interference from H202 [28],... 

Electrochemical NO sensors based on platinized or electrocatalyst-modified electrodes often in combination with a permselective and charged membrane for interference elimination were proposed. Although the catalytic mechanism is still unknown, it can be assumed that NO is co or dinative ly bound to the metal center of porphyrin or phthalocyanine moieties immobilized at the electrode surface. The coordinative binding obviously stabilizes the transition state for NO oxidation under formation of NO+. Typically, sub-pM concentrations of NO can be quantified using NO sensors enabling the detection of NO release from individual cells. 

To fabricate NO sensors, chemically modified electrodes are commonly covered with an additional membrane layer. This increases the selectivity for NO by cutting off other easily oxidized and interfering species. A variety of membranes (e.g., cellulose acetate (14, 15), Nafion (16)) have been used to modify the surface of working electrodes via electropolymerization or classic dip coating methods. 

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