Neste trabalho foi desenvolvido um sensor com propriedades inteligentes, baseado em polímeros escova (poli-ácido acrílico) modificado com nanopartículas de ouro. Este novo material demonstrou propriedades comutáveis que podem discriminar diferentes pHs. O eletrodo foi caracterizado por voltametria cíclica (CV), espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIS) e ressonância plasmônica de superfície localizada (LSPR).

In this work, a sensor was built up with smart material based on polymer brush and gold nanoparticles. The modified electrode functionalized with polyacrylic acid (PAA) tethered to indium tin oxide (ITO) and covered with gold nanoparticle (ITO/PAA/Au) demonstrated switchable interfacial properties discriminating different pHs. The switchable electrochemical and plasmonic process was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemistry impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR).

This work describes the development of electroanalytical methodologies for the determination of atrazine, ametrine and simazine by square wave voltammetry on a mercury electrode. For pure atrazine and pure ametrine, the detection limits (DL) were 3.7 and 4.3 µg L-1, respectively, while they increased to 4.8 and 6.5 µg L-1 in the presence of 3.0 x 10-6 mol L-1 of the other component (a mathematical deconvolution program was used in the mixture cases). The voltammetric response for simazine could not be separated from that of atrazine and measurements were carried out only in pure simazine solutions (DL: 7.5 µg L-1).

The aim of this work is to discuss some selected applications of square wave voltammetry published in the last five years. The applications focused here cover several electroanalytical fields such as: determination of pesticides; molecules with biological activity; metals and other environmental pollutants. Special attention is given to the work developed in the Grupo de Materiais Eletroquímicos e Métodos Eletroanalíticos - IQSC - USP concerning the utilization of square wave voltammetry, with different kinds of electrodes, for the determination of pesticides in natural waters and active principles in pharmaceutical formulations. The new methodology is simple, fast and sensitive when compared with the traditional ones such as chromatography and spectrophotometry. The satisfactory results obtained provide alternative procedures for the quality control of drugs and the monitoring of pesticides in natural environments.