Claims
- 1. A method of producing an electrode capable of binding an analyte thereto comprising:
providing a substrate capable of binding a dithiol molecule thereto; electrochemically treating said substrate using cyclic voltammetry to provide a treated substrate having a fractal dimension of greater than about 2; and contacting said treated substrate with dithiol molecules to produce an electrode having dithiol groups attached thereto and capable of binding an analyte to be detected thereto.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said provided substrate comprises a metal capable of bonding to the sulfur atom of a thiol compound.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, platinum, silver, nickel, copper, stainless steel, and alloys of two or more thereof.
- 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said metal comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of gold and platinum.
- 5. The method of claim 2 wherein said provided substrate is selected from the group consisting of metal wire and metal powder.
- 6. The method of claim 2 wherein said provided substrate is a coiled metal wire substrate.
- 7. The method of claim 2 wherein said provided substrate is a wire mesh substrate.
- 8. The method of claim 2 wherein said provided substrate comprises a non-metal powder.
- 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of contacting the substrate, prior to the electrochemical treament step, with one or more fluids to prepare the surfaces thereof for electrochemical treatment.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein said contacting step comprises contacting the substrate with a fluid selected from the group consisting of potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, water, perchloric acid, and combinations of two or more thereof.
- 11. The method of claim 9 wherein said contacting step comprises contacting the substrate with ammonium hydroxide, then water, and then perchloric acid.
- 12. The method of claim 1 wherein said treated substrate has a fractal dimension of greater than about 2.1.
- 13. The method of claim 1 wherein said treated substrate has a fractal dimension of greater than about 2.2.
- 14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of polarizing the treated substrate before such substrate is removed from any solution in which cyclic voltammetry is conducted.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein said treated substrate is polarized at a voltage of about 2.0 volts for about 30 seconds.
- 16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of washing the treated substrate with one or more fluids prior to contacting the treated substrate with dithiol molecules.
- 17. The method of claim 16 wherein said washing step comprises rinsing the treated substrate in a fluid, sonicating the treated substrate while immersed in a fluid, or combinations of two or more thereof.
- 18. The method of claim 1 wherein said dithiol molecules are described by the formula I:
- 19. The method of claim 18 wherein n is from about 2 to about 8.
- 20. The method of claim 1 wherein said analyte to be detected is heme.
- 21. The method of claim 1 wherein said analyte to be detected is hemoglobin.
- 22. The method of claim 1 wherein said analyte to be detected is cytochrome c.
- 23. A method of accumulating an analyte from a target sample onto an electrode comprising:
providing an electrode produced according to claim 1; and contacting said electrode with a target sample comprising an analyte capable of bonding to a dithiol moiety to bond at least a portion of said analyte to said electrode.
- 24. The method of claim 23 wherein said contacting step comprises positioning the provided electrode in a capillary tube and passing the target sample through the capillary tube to contact the electrode.
- 25. The method of claim 23 wherein said contacting step comprises positioning the electrode in a glass tube and under a glass filter within the tube and passing the target sample through the glass filter and into contact with the electrode.
- 26. The method of claim 25 wherein said provided electrode comprises wire mesh.
- 27. The method of claim 23 wherein said contacting step comprises bubbling nitrogen through the target sample for at least a portion of the contacting step.
- 28. The method of claim 23 wherein said analyte is heme.
- 29. A method of detecting an analyte comprising:
providing an electrode produced according to claim 1;contacting said electrode with a target sample comprising an analyte capable of binding to a dithiol moiety to bind at least a portion of said analyte to said electrode; and detecting the analyte bonded to the electrode.
- 30. The method of claim 29 wherein said analyte is detected using cyclic voltammetry or differential pulse voltammetry.
- 31. The method of claim 30 wherein said analyte is detected using mass spectroscopy.
- 32. The method of claim 30 wherein said analyte is heme.
- 33. The method of claim 32 wherein said target sample has a concentration of less than about 2 nanmolar to greater than about 10 micromolar.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of prior filed Provisional Application No. 60/405,270 which was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Aug. 22, 2002. The entire disclosure of the above-referenced application is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60405270 |
Aug 2002 |
US |