Sensors for the monitoring of analytes in the sweat

In the last decade, can be found an exceptional growth in research activity relating to the development of wearable devices, capable of continuously monitoring the health conditions of the wearer by analyzing body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, tears and sweat. Among the body fluids available, sweat is a biofluid of particular interest, as it allows a non-invasive, continuous and comfortable collection. Human sweat contains useful information on the health of an individual and therefore is an excellent biofluid for the detection of specific analytes. The most abundant ions in the sweat are Na+ and Cl- (10 - 100 mM), and their monitoring is useful in patients with cystic fibrosis. Othe…

High-rate cycling performance of lead-acid batteries with nanostructured electrodes

In this work we present lead-acid batteries with nanostructured electrodes cycled with different C-rate from 1C (1 hour to complete charge) up to 30C (120 seconds to complete charge) and imposing a very deep discharge. In comparison to the parameters usually used for commercial batteries, these are much more stressful conditions in terms of cut-off and charge/discharge rate.

Nanowire ordered Arrays for electrochemical sensing of H2O2

In this work, we present the performance of nanostructured array of Cu for electrochemical sensors of hydrogen peroxide. Nanostructured sensors are obtained by template synthesis in commercial polycarbonate membranes. Arrays of Cu nanowires were fabricated through a displacement deposition reaction that permits to obtain nanostructures directly and without the use of an external power supply. To test the performance of nanostructured sensors, electrochemical experiments were carried out in an aqueous solution with different amounts of hydrogen peroxide. In order to obtain sensors with stable performance, we found that it is essential to increase wettability of the nanostructures through add…

Fabrication of Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles composite coatings by galvanic deposition for orthopaedic implants

Electrochemical quantification of oxidative stress in airway epithelial cells

NiO thin film for mercury detection in water by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry

NiO thin film thermally grown on Ni was investigated for the first time as an electrochemical sensor of mercury ions in water. The film was obtained by thermal oxidation in air of a commercial Ni foil. The influence of oxidation temperature, and time have been investigated by XRD, SEM, and EDS analysis. Square wave anodic stripping voltammetry was used for detecting Hg2+ ions in aqueous solution with different ion concentrations. In order to improve the response signal, all the operational parameters related to the sensing process such as pH, deposition time, potential, and square wave frequency, have been optimized. We obtained a detection limit of 4.4 ppb with a sensitivity of 1.1 µA ppb-…

Composite Coatings of Chitosan and Silver Nanoparticles Obtained by Galvanic Deposition for Orthopedic Implants

In this work, composite coatings of chitosan and silver nanoparticles were presented as an antibacterial coating for orthopedic implants. Coatings were deposited on AISI 304L using the galvanic deposition method. In galvanic deposition, the difference of the electrochemical redox potential between two metals (the substrate and a sacrificial anode) has the pivotal role in the process. In the coupling of these two metals a spontaneous redox reaction occurs and thus no external power supply is necessary. Using this process, a uniform deposition on the exposed area and a good adherence of the composite coating on the metallic substrate were achieved. Physical-chemical characterizations were car…