Methylene blue intercalated into calcium phosphate – Electrochemical properties and an ascorbic acid oxidation study

Methylene blue (MB) was intercalated inside the cavity of a layered calcium phosphate host. The dye is strongly retained and not easily leached from the matrix. The intercalated dye material was incorporated into a carbon paste electrode and by means of cyclic voltammetry and amperometry, its electrochemical properties were investigated. In various electrolyte solutions, on changing the pH between 3 and 9, the midpoint potential remained practically constant at −0.15 V. This is not the usual behavior for MB, since it is known that in the solution phase the midpoint potential changes considerably with pH, indicating that, in the present case, methylene blue is a guest molecule intercalated inside the lamellar structure of the calcium phosphate. An electrode made with this material was used to study the electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid and then applied to commercial samples, with excellent agreement within the 95% confidence level.

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