International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Veerappan Mani

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Guest Editor

Electrical and Computer Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
Interests: electrocatalytic sensors and biosensors; 2D nanomaterials; hydrogen evolution reactions; supercapacitors; bioelectrochemistry; whole-blood analysis; in-situ sensors for endogenous chemicals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The design and development of advanced electrocatalytic materials is of great importance for making efficient sensors and energy devices. There have been many major breakthroughs over the past years in the fields of material science and nanotechnology, bringing many new synthetic methods and sophisticated instruments for improving the performance of electrocatalysts. It is now possible to reach even picomolar detection limits with the aid of nanoscale electrocatalysts, which is very useful in clinical and environmental analysis. Because of their unique physicochemical properties, two-dimensional layer materials are likely to remain leading stars in energy and sensors for many years. Advanced nanocomposites are being developed through the combination of materials ranging from metal nanoparticles to two-dimensional layer materials. Multi-functional electrocatalysts are developed for energy reactions such as hydrogen evolution and oxidation, oxygen evolution and reduction, CO₂ reduction, etc., which have had significant impacts on fuel cells, electrolyzers, zinc–air batteries, etc. Developing low-cost, high-performance, robust, and sustainable electrocatalytic materials to replace precious metals is a major focus in the energy sector. This Special Issue entitled “Electrocatalysts for Electrochemical Sensors and Energy-Related Devices” aims to collect original articles and reviews on the latest developments in the design and synthesis of electrocatalysts for sensor and energy applications.

Dr. Veerappan Mani
Guest Editor

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Keywords

electrocatalysis
sensors
electroanalysis
clinical analysis
chemically modified electrodes
carbon nanomaterials
two-dimensional layered nanomaterials
nanocomposites
hydrogen evolution reactions
oxygen reduction reactions
electrochemical energy devices
water electrolysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 6366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Ultra-Sensitive Electrochemical Sensor for the Detection of Carcinogen Oxidative Stress 4-Nitroquinoline N-Oxide in Biologic Matrices Based on Hierarchical Spinel Structured NiCo₂O₄ and NiCo₂S₄; A Comparative Study

by Tse-Wei Chen, Elayappan Tamilalagan, Shen-Ming Chen, Muthumariappan Akilarasan, Selvarasu Maheshwaran and Xiaoheng Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(9), 3273; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21093273 - 5 May 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2944

Abstract

Various factors leads to cancer; among them oxidative damage is believed to play an important role. Moreover, it is important to identify a method to detect the oxidative damage. Recently, electrochemical sensors have been considered as the one of the most important techniques to detect DNA damage, owing to its rapid detection. However, electrode materials play an important role in the properties of electrochemical sensor. Currently, researchers have aimed to develop novel electrode materials for low-level detection of biomarkers. Herein, we report the facile hydrothermal synthesis of NiCo₂O₄ micro flowers (MFs) and NiCo₂S₄ micro spheres (Ms) and evaluate their electrochemical properties for the detection of carcinogen-causing biomarker 4-nitroquinoline n-oxide (4-NQO) in human blood serum and saliva samples. Moreover, as-prepared composites were fabricated on a glass carbon electrode (GCE), and its electrochemical activities for the determination of 4-NQO were investigated by using various electrochemical techniques. Fascinatingly, the NiCo₂S₄-Ms showed a very low detection limit of 2.29 nM and a wider range of 0.005 to 596.64 µM for detecting 4-NQO. Finally, the practical applicability of NiCo₂S₄-Ms in the 4-NQO spiked human blood serum and saliva samples were also investigated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrocatalysts for Electrochemical Sensors and Energy-Related Devices)

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16 pages, 3837 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rapid One-Pot Synthesis of Polydopamine Encapsulated Carbon Anchored with Au Nanoparticles: Versatile Electrocatalysts for Chloramphenicol and Folic Acid Sensors

by Veerappan Mani, T.S.T. Balamurugan and Sheng-Tung Huang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(8), 2853; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21082853 - 19 Apr 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3625

Abstract

Designing and engineering nanocomposites with tailored physiochemical properties through teaming distinct components is a straightforward strategy to yield multifunctional materials. Here, we describe a rapid, economical, and green one-pot microwave synthetic procedure for the preparation of ternary nanocomposites carbon/polydopamine/Au nanoparticles (C/PDA/AuNPs; C = carbon nanotubes (CNTs), reduced graphene oxide (rGO)). No harsh reaction conditions were used in the method, as are used in conventional hydrothermal or high-temperature methods. The PDA unit acts as a non-covalent functionalizing agent for carbon, through π stacking interactions, and also as a stabilizing agent for the formation of AuNPs. The CNTs/PDA/AuNPs modified electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity to oxidize chloramphenicol and the resulting sensor exhibited a low detection limit (36 nM), wide linear range (0.1–534 μM), good selectivity (against 5-fold excess levels of interferences), appreciable reproducibility (3.47%), good stability (94.7%), and practicality (recoveries 95.0%–98.4%). Likewise, rGO/PDA/AuNPs was used to fabricate a sensitive folic acid sensor, which exhibits excellent analytical parameters, including wide linear range (0.1–905 μM) and low detection limit (25 nM). The described synthetic route includes fast reaction time (5 min) and a readily available household microwave heating device, which has the potential to significantly contribute to the current state of the field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrocatalysts for Electrochemical Sensors and Energy-Related Devices)

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