A glassy carbon supported bilayer lipid-like membrane of 5,5-ditetradecyl-2-(2-trimethyl-ammonioethyl)-1,3-dioxane bromide for electrochemical sensing of epinephrine

Towards a Rational Design of Biosensors: Engineering Covalently Grafted Interfacial Adlayers as a Testbed Platform for Electrochemical Detection of Epinephrine

The performance of electrochemical (bio)sensors is fundamentally determined by the precise engineering of interfacial layers that govern (bio)analyte-surface interactions. However, elucidating structure-function relationships remains challenging due to the complex architecture of modern sensors and the irregular nanoscale morphology of many high-performance materials. In this study, we present a strategy for designing custom functional interfaces as well-defined platforms for probing interfacial processes. Focusing on epinephrine (EP) detection as an important representative of catecholamines, we compare the interfacial behavior of two carboxy-functionalized electrodes-grafted with either para-aminobenzoic acid (PAB) or 3,4,5-tricarboxybenzenediazonium (ATA)-against atomically flat highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) as a control. While both modifiers introduce carboxyl groups, PAB forms disordered multilayers that inhibit surface responsiveness, whereas ATA yields an ultrathin monolayer with accessible COOH groups. Electrochemical analysis reveals that ATA-HOPG significantly enhances EP detection at sub-micromolar levels, facilitated by electrostatic interactions between surface-bound COO- and protonated EP and its redox products. These results demonstrate that nanoscale control of diazonium grafting is crucial for optimizing bioanalyte recognition. More broadly, this work highlights how molecular-level surface engineering on high-quality carbon substrates can serve as a test-bed platform for the rational design of advanced electrochemical sensing interfaces.

Advances on Hormones and Steroids Determination: A Review of Voltammetric Methods since 2000

This article presents advances in the electrochemical determination of hormones and steroids since 2000. A wide spectrum of techniques and working electrodes have been involved in the reported measurements in order to obtain the lowest possible limits of detection. The voltammetric and polarographic techniques, due to their sensitivity and easiness, could be used as alternatives to other, more complicated, analytical assays. Still, growing interest in designing a new construction of the working electrodes enables us to prepare new measurement procedures and obtain lower limits of detection. A brief description of the measured compounds has been presented, along with a comparison of the obtained results.

Nanostructured cobalt phthalocyanine single-walled carbon nanotube platform: electron transport and electrocatalytic activity on epinephrine

The fabrication, characterization and application of edge-plane pyrolytic graphite electrode modified with acid-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes, nanostructured cobalt phthalocyanine and a mixture of both, towards epinephrine detection and analysis are described. The morphological features of the films were evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Electrochemistry of these electrodes in [ Fe ( CN )6]3−/4− using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed higher peak current responses with accompanying low electron-transfer resistances in comparison to the bare electrode. The edge-plane pyrolytic graphite-single-walled carbon nanotubes-nanostructured cobalt phthalocyanine electrode exhibited good electrocatalytic activity towards epinephrine oxidation with enhanced peak currents. Analytical studies using edge-plane pyrolytic graphite-single-walled carbon nanotubes-nanostructured cobalt phthalocyanine electrode proved that the electrode is suitable for sensitivity determination of epinephrine in pH 5 conditions judging from the good sensitivity (8.71 ± 0.31 A.M−1), and limit of detection (0.04 µM) and quantification (1.31 µM) obtained. Determination of EP in the absence and presence of ascorbic acid in phosphate buffer pH 5 conditions was carried out and it was established that the presence of AA did not interfere in EP analysis. Rotating disk electrode experiments proved that the catalytic rate constant was 2.28 × 1016 mM−1.s−1.

Electrodeposition of gold nanoclusters on overoxidized polypyrrole film modified glassy carbon electrode and its application for the simultaneous determination of epinephrine and uric acid under coexistence of ascorbic acid

A novel biosensor was fabricated by electrochemical deposition of gold nanoclusters on ultrathin overoxidized polypyrrole (PPyox) film, formed a nano-Au/PPyox composite on glassy carbon electrode (nano-Au/PPyox/GCE). The properties of the nanocomposite have been characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical investigations. The nano-Au/PPyox/GCE had strongly catalytic activity toward the oxidation of epinephrine (EP), uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA), and resolved the overlapping voltammetric response of EP, UA and AA into three well-defined peaks with a large anodic peak difference. The catalytic peak currents obtained from differential pulse voltammetry increased linearly with increasing EP and UA concentrations in the range of 3.0x10(-7) to 2.1x10(-5) M and 5.0x10(-8) to 2.8x10(-5) M with a detection limit of 3.0x10(-8) and 1.2x10(-8) M (s/n=3), respectively. The results showed that the modified electrode can selectively determine EP and UA in the coexistence of a large amount of AA. In addition, the sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity, selectivity and stability. The nano-Au/PPyox/GCE has been applied to determination of EP in epinephrine hydrochloride injection and UA in urine samples with satisfactory results.

Selective Determination of Epinephrine in the Presence of Ascorbic Acid and Uric Acid by Electrocatalytic Oxidation at Poly(eriochrome Black T) Film-modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

An electropolymerized film of eriochrome black T (EBT) has been prepared at a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The poly(EBT) membrane at GCE exhibits an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of epinephrine (EP), ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) in acidic solution and reduced the overpotential for the oxidation of EP. The poly(EBT)-coated electrode could separately detect EP, AA and UA in their mixture with the potential differences of 180 and 160 mV for EP-AA and UA-EP, respectively, which are large enough to allow for determination of EP in the presence of AA and UA. Using differential pulse voltammetry, the peak current of EP recorded in pH 3.5 solution was linearly dependent on EP's concentration in the range of 2.5 - 50 microM. Due to its good selectivity and stability, the polymer-coated GCE was successfully applied to the determination of EP in real samples.