Nanoelectrode

20 May 2007

A new dimension has recently been emerged and it is known as electrochemical nanotechnology. It is really important to know the fabrication technologies and main applications of nanoelectrodes or nanoelectrode arrays. In general nanoelectrodes (NE) has dimensions lower than 500 nm and some experimental work show a characteristics NE deviation from the conventional microelectrode theory. The deviation could be due to similar size NE and redox molecule and other factors.

So far a number of technique for fabrication of nanoelectrode has already been developed including lithographic technique, template-synthesized nanomaterial geometry, carbon-based nanoelectrodes, single walled carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, embedded nanoparticles, functionalized carbon nanotubes, synthetic nanowires, single wire nanoelectrodes and self assembled monolayers.

Lithographic or photolithographic techniques are most convenient and suitable techniques and are able to produce broad range of shapes, sizes in single nanoelectrode or electrode array having micrometer dimension. With the use of STM (scanning tunneling microscopy) new ultrasmall structures of few micro of even a single atomic layer have been built on a semiconductor surface and therefore these new technologies are able to produce the desired nanostructures.

With the fabrication of nanoelectrode, electrode kinetics had significant impact on the analytical and kinetic studies and therefore the nanoelectrode applications have moved to a larger sphere and some of the common applications of NE includes in biomedicine, biological investigations, biological applications and biosensors.

Nanoelectrode biosensor is one of the emerging area where electrochemical sensors based on enzyme modified nanoscopic band electrodes have a great potential and are being examined for use in small volumes. The team of Zhang has developed a pH NE sensor for body fluid and low ionic strength water sample. Many other probable application areas of nanoelectrodes are being examined by researchers and in the coming years we will see many more applications of nanoelectrodes.

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