Review of Electrochemically Triggered Macromolecular Film Buildup Processes and Their Biomedical Applications

International audienceMacromolecular coatings play an important role in many technological areas, ranging from the car industry to biosensors. Among the different coating technologies, electrochemically triggered processes are extremely powerful because they allow in particular spatial confinement of the film buildup up to the micrometer scale on microelectrodes. Here, we review the latest advances in the field of electrochemically triggered macromolecular film buildup processes performed in aqueous solutions. All these processes will be discussed and related to their several applications such as corrosion prevention, biosensors, antimicrobial coatings, drug-release, barrier properties and cell encapsulation. Special emphasis will be put on applications in the rapidly growing field of biosensors. Using polymers or proteins, the electrochemical buildup of the films can result from a local change of macromolecules solubility, self-assembly of polyelectrolytes through electrostatic/ionic interactions or covalent cross-linking between different macromolecules. The assembly process can be in one step or performed step-by-step based on an electrical trigger affecting directly the interacting macromolecules or generating ionic species

Mesoporous Metal Oxide Films

This book, entitled “Mesoporous Metal Oxide Films”, contains an editorial and a collection of ten research articles covering fundamental studies and applications of different metal oxide films. Mesoporous materials have been widely investigated and applied in many technological applications owing to their outstanding structural and physical properties. In this book, important developments in this fast-moving field are presented from various research groups around the world. Different preparation methods and applications of these novel and interesting materials have been reported, and it was demonstrated that mesoporosity has a direct impact on the properties and potential applications of such materials. The potential use of mesoporous metal oxide films and coatings with different morphology and structures is demonstrated in many technological applications, particularly chemical and electrochemical sensors, supercapacitors, solar cells, photoelectrodes, bioceramics, photonic switches, and anticorrosion agents

Investigation of the thermostability and activity of biomolecules in bio-friendly deep eutectic solvents

The solvent environment of a biomolecule is critical to its optimal performance in various scenarios, including biocatalysis, drug delivery, therapeutics, and biosensing. This dissertation mainly discusses the implementation of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as an emerging and alternate solvent system for biomolecular applications, including aspects of protein thermostabilization and extraction and the role of DESs in biocatalytic systems, such as those involving lipases or whole cells. Additionally, a discussion of DESs for the modulation of nucleic acid systems, drug solubilization and delivery, and emerging biomedical applications is included. Overall, the intent of this dissertation is to elucidate some of the advantages of implementing DESs in an array of biomolecule-driven purposes and illustrate the versatility and potential of these unique, environmentally responsible solvents for next-generation biotechnological and biomedical applications.Includes bibliographical references

Application of Carbon-Microsphere-Modified Electrodes for Electrochemistry of Hemoglobin and Electrocatalytic Sensing of Trichloroacetic Acid

By using the hydrothermal method, carbon microspheres (CMS) were fabricated and used for electrode modification. The characteristics of CMS were investigated using various techniques. The biocompatible sensing platform was built by immobilizing hemoglobin (Hb) on the micrometer-sized CMS-modified electrode with a layer of chitosan membrane. On the cyclic voltammogram, a couple of quasi-reversible cathodic and anodic peaks appeared, showing that direct electrochemistry of Hb with the working electrode was achieved. The catalytic reduction peak currents of the bioelectrode to trichloroacetic acid was established in the linear range of 2.0~70.0 mmol·L−1 accompanied by a detection limit of 0.30 mmol·L−1 (3σ). The modified electrode displayed favorable sensitivity, good reproducibility and stability, which suggests that CMS is promising for fabricating third-generation bioelectrochemical sensors

Synthesis of new pyrazolium based tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids and their use in removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution

In this study, two new pyrazolium based tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids, 2-ethyl-1-(4-methylphenyl)-3,5- dimethylpyrazolium tetrafluoroborate (3a) and 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-pentyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazolium tetrafluoroborate (3b), were synthesized via three-step reaction and characterized. The removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution has been investigated using the synthesized salts as an extractant and methylene chloride as a solvent. The obtained results show that MB was extracted from aqueous solution with high extraction efficiency up to 87 % at room temperature at the natural pH of MB solution. The influence of the alkyl chain length on the properties of the salts and their extraction efficiency of MB was investigated