Sensitive voltammetric determination of tyrosine using multi-walled carbon nanotubes/4-aminobenzeresulfonic acid film-coated glassy carbon electrode

A chemically modified electrode is constructed based on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)/4-aminobenzeresulfonic acid (4-ABSA) film-coated glassy carbon electrode. The electrocatalytic oxidation of tyrosine (Tyr) is investigated on the surface of the MWNTs/4-ABSA-modified electrode using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The prepared modified electrode shows voltammetric responses with high sensitivity and selectivity for Tyr in optimal conditions, which makes it very suitable for sub-micromolar detection of Tyr. A sensitive oxidation peak at +0.64 V is employed to determine Tyr. Good linear relationship between the oxidation peak current and the Tyr concentration in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁷ to 5 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L is obtained in phosphate buffer solution with pH 7.0. By use of modified electrode, the voltammetric detection limit for Tyr in DPV measurements is 8 × 10⁻⁸ mol/L (S/N = 3). Good sensitivity, selectivity and stability of the low-cost modified electrode make it very suitable for the determination of trace amounts of Tyr in pharmaceutical and clinical preparations.