Fabrication of Metal Nanoparticle-Modified Screen Printed Carbon Electrodes for the Evaluation of Hydrogen Peroxide Content in Teeth Whitening Strips

Abstract

A laboratory experiment in which students synthesize Ag, Au, and Pt nanoparticles (NPs) and use them to modify screen printed carbon electrodes for the electroanalysis of the hydrogen peroxide content in commercially available teeth whitening strips is described. This experiment is designed for two 3-h laboratory periods and can be adapted for upper-division undergraduate students in instrumental analysis, materials science, or physical chemistry laboratories. The experiment presented has already been used as a hands-on component in a Functional Nanomaterials Course, which exposed students to the analysis of the electrochemical properties of metal nanoparticles. Moreover, it allows for teaching the basics of nanoparticle synthesis and enables students to learn the fundamentals of electrochemical sensing with nanostructured materials.

Screen-Printed Electrodes Modified with Metal Nanoparticles for Small Molecule Sensing

“…The first strategy is easier to carry out, as no functionalization step is necessary. So, many metal NP solutions were used, such as bismuth [16], platinum [17][18][19], rhodium [20], gold [21], silver [22], copper [23], and nickel [24]. Sensors, thus prepared, are stable, even in flow injection systems, making easier and affordable sensing devices possible when compared to those obtained by the ink mixing method.…”

“…Due to its good electrocatalytic activity towards peroxide, platinum can be used to detect this molecule in several real samples, such as cosmetics [53], household goods [30], or food and beverages [25], with good recoveries. A simple electrodeposition step is needed [37] to perform sensors with this method, affording a facile and robust methodology to monitor peroxide "in-situ" and making it even susceptible to academic demonstrations with hair lightener [56] and whitening strips [18] as real samples.…”

Environmental Application of Cyclodextrin Metal–Organic Frameworks in an Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory

“…The students in the study were part of an advanced organic laboratory, but the multidisciplinary nature of this project makes it a suitable project for other advanced laboratories in environmental and analytical chemistry. Moreover, we note that this experiment complements our previously published laboratory experiments in this Journal in the synthesis and analysis of near-infrared squaraine fluorophores and of fluorescent organic polymers, , in that these three experiments, in conjunction with any of the numerous material science laboratory experiments published in this Journal , − can be used as the basis for a semester-long laboratory course on materials chemistry.…”

Guiding Students to Understand the Nanoscale Charge Transport by the Mechanically Controllable Break Junction Technique

“…Nanoscience is in a booming development that demands a higher quality of chemical education. The development of chemical educational courses , and specifically for chemical experiments − provides students with opportunities to access the cutting-edge advances of chemical research. However, few results are currently focusing on the experimental teaching of charge transport at the nanoscale, which is a key concept of nanoscale electronic devices.…”