Characteristic Curve of a Fuel Cell

Merola

et al. 2016

Electrochimica Acta

A small direct catalytic methanol 'fuel cell' was used for analytical purposes. Three different formats were investigated for methanol and ethanol determination: two different Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) formats and a potentiostatic (i.e. amperometric) format; the latter was used if the current supplied by the cell was recorded. The measurement times using one or other of these three formats were much different. The time required by the potentiostatic format was more short for a suitable analytical measurement. The cell was used to check ethanol content in several commercial wine and beer samples and the possibility of using the fuel cell for the analytical measures in real samples, discussed. Lastly the results were compared with those obtained using two conventional amperometric enzyme sensors and statistical tests carried out. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Catalytic fuel cell used as an analytical tool for methanol and ethanol determination. Application to ethanol determination in alcoholic beverages

Merola

et al. 2016

Electrochimica Acta

“…The present research can be considered as belonging to the research field reported in the literature concerning the development of fuel cells [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ] and biofuel cells [ 28 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ] for several purposes. This study positively extended applications to several pharmaceutical products (dyes) by a simple DMFC catalytic device (already performed on several alcoholic beverage samples [ 25 , 26 ]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researches of different types have been performed in the past by some authors with the aim of using different fuel-cell-based devices for analytical [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ] (and energetic [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]) purposes. These researches have effectively shown the possibility of this kind of application, but only by means of particular and complex types of fuel cell, not useful for common application to real samples.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Methanol (or Ethanol) Fuel Cell as Enzymatic or Non-Enzymatic Device, Used to Check Ethanol in Several Pharmaceutical and Forensic Samples

Marchiandi

et al. 2018

Sensors

It was already demonstrated by our research group that a direct catalytic methanol (or ethanol) fuel cell (DMFC) device can be used also for analytical purposes, such as the determination of ethanol content in beverages. In the present research we extended the application to the analysis of several ethanol-based pharmaceutical products, i.e., pharmaceutical tinctures (dyes) and disinfectants. In recent work we have also shown that the use of alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme as a component of the anodic section of a direct catalytic methanol (or ethanol) fuel cell significantly improves the performance of a simple DMFC device, making it more suitable to measure ethanol (or methanol) in real samples by this cell. At the same time, we have also shown that DMFC can respond to certain organic compounds that are more complex than methanol and ethanol and having R(R’)CH-OH group in the molecule. Firstly, pharmaceutical dyes were analyzed for their ethanol content using the simple catalytic DMFC device, with good accuracy and precision. The results are illustrated in the present paper. Additionally, a detailed investigation carried out on commercial denatured alcoholic samples evidenced several interferences due to the contained additives. Secondly, we hypothesized that by using the enzymatic fuel cell it would be possible to improve the determination, for instance, of certain antibiotics, such as imipenem, or else carry out determinations of ethanol content in saliva and serum (simulating forensic tests, correlated to drivers “breath test”); even if this has already been hypothesized in previous papers, the present study is the first to perform them experimentally, obtaining satisfactory results. In practice, all of the goals which we proposed were reached, confirming the remarkable opportunities of the enzymatic (or non-enzymatic) DMFC device.

“…In the past, several researches have been performed by some authors, with the aim of using different fuel-cell devices for energetic [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] and analytical [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] purposes. These researches have effectively shown the possibility to perform some analytical applications but only by means of particular Sensors 2020, 20, 3615 2 of 12 and complex types of fuel cells not useful for common application to real samples.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Catalytic Fuel Cell Device Coupled to Chemometric Methods to Detect Organic Compounds of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Interest

Marini

et al. 2020

Sensors

Making use of a small direct methanol fuel cell device (DMFC), used as an analytical sensor, chemometric methods, organic compounds very different from one another, can be determined qualitatively and quantitatively. In this research, the following seven different organic compounds of pharmaceutical and biomedical interest, having in common only one –OH group, were considered: chloramphenicol, imipenem, methanol, ethanol, propanol, atropine and cortisone. From a quantitative point of view, the traditional approach, involving the building of individual calibration curves, which allow the quantitative determination of the corresponding organic compounds, even if with different sensitivities, was followed. For the qualitative analysis of each compound, this approach has been much more innovative. In fact, by processing the data from each of the individual response curves, obtained through the fuel cell, using chemometric methods, it is possible to directly identify and recognize each of the seven organic compounds. Since the study is a proof of concept to show the potential of this innovative methodological approach, based on the combination of direct methanol fuel cell with advanced chemometric tools, at this stage, concentration ranges that may not be the ones found in some real situations were investigated. The three methods adopted are all explorative methods with very limited computation costs, which have different characteristics and, therefore, may provide complementary information on the analyzed data. Indeed, while PCA (principal components analysis) provides the most parsimonious summary of the variability observed in the current response matrix, the analysis of the current response behavior was performed by the “slicing” method, in order to transform the current response profiles into numerical matrices, while PARAFAC (Parallel Factor Analysis) allows to obtain a finer deconvolution of the exponential curves. On the other hand, the multiblock nature of “ComDim” (Common Components and Specific Weight Analysis) has been the basis to relate the variability observed in the current response behavior with the parameters of the linear calibrations.