Separation and concentration effect of f-MWCNTs on electrocatalytic responses of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid at f-MWCNTs incorporated with poly (neutral red) composite films

Application of an electrochemical sensor using copper oxide nanoparticles/polyalizarin yellow R nanocomposite for hydrogen peroxide

In this study, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) were prepared by a simple chemical method and then characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). A novel electrochemical sensor for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) analysis was prepared by immobilizing copper oxide nanoparticles and polyalizarin yellow R (PYAR) on bare glassy carbon electrode (PAYR/CuONPs/GCE). The electrocatalytical behavior of the proposed electrochemical sensor was also studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Based on the results, the PAYR/CuONP nanocomposite had significant electrocatalytic oxidation and reduction properties for the detection and determination of H₂O₂. Some parameters such as linear range, sensitivity, and detection limit for reduction peak were obtained as 0.1-140 μM, 1.4154 μA cm^-2 μM^-1, and 0.03 μM, respectively, by the DPV technique. Some advantages of this electrode were having widespread linear range, low detection limit, and, most importantly, ability in simultaneous oxidation and reduction of H₂O₂ at two applied potentials.

Carbon Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Functionalization and Sensing Applications

Recent advances in nanomaterial design and synthesis has resulted in robust sensing systems that display superior analytical performance. The use of nanomaterials within sensors has accelerated new routes and opportunities for the detection of analytes or target molecules. Among others, carbon-based sensors have reported biocompatibility, better sensitivity, better selectivity and lower limits of detection to reveal a wide range of organic and inorganic molecules. Carbon nanomaterials are among the most extensively studied materials because of their unique properties spanning from the high specific surface area, high carrier mobility, high electrical conductivity, flexibility, and optical transparency fostering their use in sensing applications. In this paper, a comprehensive review has been made to cover recent developments in the field of carbon-based nanomaterials for sensing applications. The review describes nanomaterials like fullerenes, carbon onions, carbon quantum dots, nanodiamonds, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. Synthesis of these nanostructures has been discussed along with their functionalization methods. The recent application of all these nanomaterials in sensing applications has been highlighted for the principal applicative field and the future prospects and possibilities have been outlined.

Recent Advances in Electrochemical and Optical Sensing of Dopamine

Nowadays, several neurological disorders and neurocrine tumours are associated with dopamine (DA) concentrations in various biological fluids. Highly accurate and ultrasensitive detection of DA levels in different biological samples in real-time can change and improve the quality of a patient's life in addition to reducing the treatment cost. Therefore, the design and development of diagnostic tool for in vivo and in vitro monitoring of DA is of considerable clinical and pharmacological importance. In recent decades, a large number of techniques have been established for DA detection, including chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, spectroscopic approaches, and electrochemical (EC) methods. These methods are effective, but most of them still have some drawbacks such as consuming time, effort, and money. Added to that, sometimes they need complex procedures to obtain good sensitivity and suffer from low selectivity due to interference from other biological species such as uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA). Advanced materials can offer remarkable opportunities to overcome drawbacks in conventional DA sensors. This review aims to explain challenges related to DA detection using different techniques, and to summarize and highlight recent advancements in materials used and approaches applied for several sensor surface modification for the monitoring of DA. Also, it focuses on the analytical features of the EC and optical-based sensing techniques available.

Sensitive detection of dopamine via leucodopaminechrome on polyacrylic acid-coated ceria nanorods

The major hurdle in detection of dopamine (DA) by electro-analysis is the presence of physiological interferents with a similar oxidation potential of DA. The conventional method is to enlarge the difference of their oxidation potentials. Here, we report an unconventional method to detect DA via leucodopaminechrome on CeO₂ nanorods. Leucodopaminechrome is produced from the cyclization of dopamine-quinone, a product of two-electron oxidation of DA. Thus, its concentration is proportional to the DA concentration. Determining DA is demonstrated by measuring the reduction current of leucodopaminechrome on CeO₂ nanorods. CeO₂ nanorods demonstrate high electrocatalytic activity for reduction of leucodopaminechrome with a low potential at -0.27 V. The low detection potential of leucodopaminechrome can avoid the interference from ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA). Therefore, detecting DA via leucodopaminechrome is an effective method to avoid interference from AA and UA, and the suggested biosensor also displays good reproducibility and stability.

One-step synthesis of functional pNR/rGO composite as a building block for enhanced ascorbic acid biosensing

An electrochemical sensor for ascorbic acid (AA) was prepared via an one-step electrochemical approach by reducing graphene oxide (rGO) and co-polymerizing neutral red (NR) and rGO to form a pNR/rGO hybrid film on the glassy carbon electrode (pNR/rGO-GCE). Structures and properties of the obtained pNR/rGO film were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and UV-vis techniques. A significant decrease of charge-transfer resistance (Rct) from over 20,000 Ω for pNR-GCE to 130 Ω for pNR/rGO-GCE was validated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement. Particularly, electrochemical data revealed that pNR/rGO film could effectively enhance the electron transfer between AA and electrode, and thus reduce the overpotential of AA oxidation. Two linear regression areas with 0.05-0.75 mM and 0.9-24.9 mM, detection limit with 1.4 μM, and stability over 2 weeks were obtained. The coexisting distractions such as dopamine, uric acid and glucose were detected and eliminated. Moreover, the pNR/rGO-GCE gave the same determination results as that obtained with HPLC when measuring real samples, including vitamin C beverage and human serum.

Facile preparation of poly(methylene blue) modified carbon paste electrode for the detection and quantification of catechin

Free radicals are formed as byproducts of metabolism, and are highly unstable due to the presence of unpaired electrons. They readily react with other important cellular components such as DNA causing them damage. Antioxidants such as (+)-catechin (CAT), neutralize free radicals in the blood stream. Hence there is a need for detection and quantification of catechin concentration in various food sources and beverages. Electro-oxidative properties of catechin were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). A carbon paste working electrode modified by electropolymerizing methylene blue (MB) was fabricated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques were used to study the surface morphology of the electrode. Quasi-reversible electron transfer reaction occurred at +0.260V through a diffusion controlled process. In comparison to the bare carbon paste electrode (CPE), there was a significant 5.3 times increment in anodic current sensitivity at the modified electrode at physiological pH. Our findings indicate that for the electro-oxidation of CAT, CPE is a better base material for electropolymerization of MB compared to glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Nyquist plot followed the theoretical shape, indicating low interfacial charge transfer resistance of 0.095kΩ at the modified electrode. Calibration plots obtained by DPV were linear in two ranges of 1.0×10^-3 to 1.0×10^-6 and 1.0×10^-7 to 0.1×10^-8M. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) was 4.9nM and 14nM respectively. Application of the developed electrode was demonstrated by detecting catechin in green tea and spiked fruit juice with satisfactory recoveries. The sensor was stable, sensitive, selective and reproducible.

Novel Modifications to Carbon-Based Electrodes to Improve the Electrochemical Detection of Dopamine

In this work, we describe three simple modifications to carbon electrodes that were found to improve the detection of an exemplar neurotransmitter (dopamine) in the presence of physiological interferents (ascorbic acid and/or uric acid). First, the electro-oxidation of ascorbic acid, as a pretreatment, at boron-doped diamond electrode (BDE) interfaces is studied. This treatment did suppress the detection of ascorbic acid oxidation signal, but only in a manner suitable for single-use detection of high concentrations of dopamine (i.e., > 1 μM). Second, the hydrogenation of BDE by electrochemical cathodic treatment and plasma hydrogenation was investigated. Large cathodic, applied potentials (i.e., > - 5 V) and hydrogen plasma pretreatment of BDE lead to the partial and complete oxidization of ascorbic acid before dopamine, respectively. The consequence at hydrogen-plasma treated BDE is the complete electrochemical separation of these two species without any typical catalytic reactions between the analytes. Third, the modification of glassy carbon electrodes with carbon black nanoparticles is explored. This modification enables the simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid, significantly enhancing the sensitivity of dopamine. Dopamine was best detected using the unconventional route of detecting 5,6-dihydroxyindole, which is made possible by use of carbon-black nanoparticles. The potential of all three studied modifications to be of electroanalytical use is highlighted throughout this work.

Electrochemical sensors and biosensors based on redox polymer/carbon nanotube modified electrodes: a review

The aim of this review is to present the contributions to the development of electrochemical sensors and biosensors based on polyphenazine or polytriphenylmethane redox polymers together with carbon nanotubes (CNT) during recent years. Phenazine polymers have been widely used in analytical applications due to their inherent charge transport properties and electrocatalytic effects. At the same time, since the first report on a CNT-based sensor, their application in the electroanalytical chemistry field has demonstrated that the unique structure and properties of CNT are ideal for the design of electrochemical (bio)sensors. We describe here that the specific combination of phenazine/triphenylmethane polymers with CNT leads to an improved performance of the resulting sensing devices, because of their complementary electrical, electrochemical and mechanical properties, and also due to synergistic effects. The preparation of polymer/CNT modified electrodes will be presented together with their electrochemical and surface characterization, with emphasis on the contribution of each component on the overall properties of the modified electrodes. Their importance in analytical chemistry is demonstrated by the numerous applications based on polymer/CNT-driven electrocatalytic effects, and their analytical performance as (bio) sensors is discussed.

A sensitive dopamine biosensor based on ultra-thin polypyrrole nanosheets decorated with Pt nanoparticles

A Pt/UltraPPy modified glassy carbon electrode is a highly sensitive new sensor for the detection of dopamine.

The new age of carbon nanotubes: an updated review of functionalized carbon nanotubes in electrochemical sensors

Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), they have drawn considerable research attention and have shown great potential application in many fields due to their unique structural, mechanical, and electronic properties. However, their native insolubility severely holds back the process of application. In order to overcome this disadvantage and broaden the scope of their application, chemical functionalization of CNTs has attracted great interest over the past several decades and produced various novel hybrid materials with specific applications. Notably, the rapid development of functionalized CNTs used as electrochemical sensors has been successfully witnessed. In this featured article, the recent progress of electrochemical sensors based on functionalized CNTs is discussed and classified according to modifiers covering organic (oxygen functional groups, small organic molecules, polymers, DNA, protein, etc.), inorganic (metal nanoparticles, metal oxide, etc.) and organic-inorganic hybrids. By employing some representative examples, it will be demonstrated that functionalized CNTs as templates, carriers, immobilizers and transducers are promising for the construction of electrochemical sensors.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of a core-shell MWCNT/GONR heterostructure for the electrochemical detection of ascorbic acid, dopamine, and uric acid

In this study, graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs) were synthesized from the facile unzipping of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with the help of microwave energy. A core-shell MWCNT/GONR-modified glassy carbon (MWCNT/GONR/GC) electrode was used to electrochemically detect ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA). In cyclic voltammograms, the MWCNT/GONR/GC electrode was found to outperform the MWCNT- and graphene-modified GC electrodes in terms of peak current. For the simultaneous sensing of three analytes, well-separated voltammetric peaks were obtained using a MWCNT/GONR/GC electrode in differential pulse voltammetry measurements. The corresponding peak separations were 229.9 mV (AA to DA), 126.7 mV (DA to UA), and 356.6 mV (AA to UA). This excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the unique electronic structure of MWCNTs/GONRs: a high density of unoccupied electronic states above the Fermi level and enriched oxygen-based functionality at the edge of the graphene-like structures, as revealed by X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, obtained using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy.

Electrochemically selective determination of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic and uric acids on the surface of the modified Nafion/single wall carbon nanotube/poly(3-methylthiophene) glassy carbon electrodes

A voltammetric method based on a combination of incorporated Nafion, single-walled carbon nanotubes and poly(3-methylthiophene) film-modified glassy carbon electrode (NF/SWCNT/PMT/GCE) has been successfully developed for selective determination of dopamine (DA) in the ternary mixture of dopamine, ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) in 0.1M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) pH 4. It was shown that to detect DA from binary DA-AA mixture, the use of NF/PMT/GCE was sufficient, but to detect DA from ternary DA-AA-UA mixture NF/SWCNT/PMT/GCE was required. The later modified electrode exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity towards AA, DA and UA thanks to synergic effect of NF/SWCNT (combining unique properties of SWCNT such as high specific surface area, electrocatalytic and adsorptive properties, with the cation selectivity of NF). On the surface of NF/SWCNT/PMT/GCE AA, DA, UA were oxidized respectively at distinguishable potentials of 0.15, 0.37 and 0.53 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), to form well-defined and sharp peaks, making possible simultaneous determination of each compound. Also, it has several advantages, such as simple preparation method, high sensitivity, low detection limit and excellent reproducibility. Thus, the proposed NF/SWCNT/PMT/GCE could be advantageously employed for the determination of DA in real pharmaceutical formulations.