Detection of polymeric entities through Single-Entity electrochemistry via electrocatalytic amplification

• Published in: Journal of electroanalytical chemistry (Lausanne, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-03, Vol.957, p.118102, Article 118102
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Thu Ha T., Jeong, Ji-Eun, Woo Kim, Jee, Young Lee, Ji, Yang, Haesik, Young Woo, Han, Kim, Byung-Kwon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonia borane; Electrocatalytic amplification; Nano-impact electrochemistry; Single-entity electrochemistry; Stochastic collision; π-conjugated polyelectrolyte
• ISSN: 1572-6657; 1873-2569
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2024.118102

[Display omitted] •Explored stochastic collisions of polymeric entities using SEE.•Employed electrocatalytic amplification of CPEs and AB oxidation.•Collision frequency of CPE proportional to increase in concentration.•Proposed method provides basic information on CPE characteristics.•The size distribution of CPEs from collisions closely matches DLS results. Single-entity electrochemistry (SEE) was used to investigate the stochastic collisions of polymeric entities. Electrocatalytic amplification of π-conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) using the oxidation of ammonia borane (AB) was employed for detecting polymeric entities. AB oxidation, while slow on a carbon ultramicroelectrode (C-UME), is catalyzed by the active sites of CPEs, which have positive polarons formed along their backbone owing to collisions with the electrode at a sufficiently positive potential (+0.5 V). The collision frequency of the CPE was proportional to the increase in concentration, and the charge distribution of particle collisions tended to be similar to the size distribution obtained by dynamic light scattering (DLS). By applying this method in combination with optical techniques, additional information can be obtained at the molecular level, thereby contributing to the fields of biosensors, and solar/fuel cells.