Application of PEDOT‐CNT Microelectrodes for Neurotransmitter Sensing

In this work, composite microelectrodes from poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) are characterized as electrochemical sensing material for neurotransmitters. Dopamine can be detected using square wave voltammetry at these microelectrodes. The CNTs improve the sensitivity by a factor of two. In addition, the selectivity towards dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid was examined. While both electrodes, PEDOT and PEDOT‐CNT are able to detect all measured concentrations of dopamine in the presence of uric acid, small concentrations of dopamine and ascorbic acid are only distinguishable at PEDOT‐CNT electrodes. Changing the pH has a strong influence on the selectivity. Moreover, it is possible to detect concentrations as low as 1 µM dopamine in complex cell culture medium. Finally, other catecholamines like serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine and L ‐dopa are also electrochemically detectable at PEDOT‐CNT microelectrodes.     

Recent trends in carbon nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors for biomolecules: A review

Carbon nanomaterials are advantageous for electrochemical sensors because they increase the electroactive surface area, enhance electron transfer, and promote adsorption of molecules. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been incorporated into electrochemical sensors for biomolecules and strategies have included the traditional dip coating and drop casting methods, direct growth of CNTs on electrodes and the use of CNT fibers and yarns made exclusively of CNTs. Recent research has also focused on utilizing many new types of carbon nanomaterials beyond CNTs. Forms of graphene are now increasingly popular for sensors including reduced graphene oxide, carbon nanohorns, graphene nanofoams, graphene nanorods, and graphene nanoflowers. In this review, we compare different carbon nanomaterial strategies for creating electrochemical sensors for biomolecules. Analytes covered include neurotransmitters and neurochemicals, such as dopamine, ascorbic acid, and serotonin; hydrogen peroxide; proteins, such as biomarkers; and DNA. The review also addresses enzyme-based electrodes that are used to detect non-electroactive species such as glucose, alcohols, and proteins. Finally, we analyze some of the future directions for the field, pointing out gaps in fundamental understanding of electron transfer to carbon nanomaterials and the need for more practical implementation of sensors.     

Carbon nanotube-modified microelectrodes for simultaneous detection of dopamine and serotonin in vivo

Dopamine and serotonin are important neurotransmitters that interact in the brain. While dopamine is easily detected with electrochemical sensors, the detection of serotonin is more difficult because reactive species formed after oxidation can adsorb to the electrode, reducing sensitivity. Carbon nanotube treatments of electrodes have been used to increase the sensitivity, promote electron transfer, and reduce fouling. Most methods have focused on nanotube coatings of large electrodes and slower electrochemical techniques that are not conducive to measurements in vivo. In this study, we investigated carbon-fiber microelectrodes modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes for the co-detection of dopamine and serotonin in vivo. Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, S/N ratios for the neurotransmitters increased after nanotube coating. Electrocatalytic effects of nanotubes were not apparent at fast scan rates but faster kinetics were observed with slower scanning. Nanotube-modified microelectrodes showed significantly less fouling after exposure to serotonin than bare electrodes. The nanotube-modified electrodes were used to monitor stimulated dopamine and serotonin changes simultaneously in the striatum of anesthetized rat after administration of a serotonin synthetic precursor. These studies show that nanotube-coated microelectrodes can be used with fast scanning techniques and are advantageous for in vivo measurements of neurotransmitters because of their greater sensitivity and resistance to fouling.     

Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Tungsten Wires: A New Class of Microelectrochemical Sensors

This paper reports the fabrication and the outstanding performance characteristics of novel microelectrodes consisting of tungsten (W) wires coated with homogeneous layers of single‐walled C nanotubes (SWNT). A series of studies using cyclic voltammetry indicate that the SWNT‐modified W electrodes possess interesting electrochemical features. In fact, they are able to catalyse electron transfer reactions involving a series of inorganic and biological molecules. These electrodes are characterized by a fast electron transfer, a wide working potential window, and a low background current. Moreover they demonstrate excellent reproducibility, good stability in various chemical media, and very high sensitivity towards a series of inorganic and organic compounds. The SWNT modified microelectrodes have been tested for the capacity to electrochemically detect ferrocene monocarboxylic acid and potassium hexacyanoferrate as well of a series of interesting biological molecules which include catechol, caffeic acid, DOPAC, ascorbic acid, L ‐tyrosine, acetaminophen, guanine, uric acid, and the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and serotonin (5‐HT) hydrochloride. The advantages of the SWNT‐modified W electrodes are illustrated by comparing their analytical performance with that of conventional electrodes.     

Comparative study of the electrochemical behavior and analytical applications of (bio)sensing platforms based on the use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in different polymers

This review present a critical comparison of the electrochemical behavior and analytical performance of glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in different polymers: polyethylenimine (PEI), PEI functionalized with dopamine (PEI-Do), polyhistidine (Polyhis), polylysine (Polylys), glucose oxidase (GOx) and double stranded calf-thymus DNA (dsDNA). The comparison is focused on the analysis of the influence of the sonication time, solvent, polymer/CNT ratio, and nature of the polymer on the efficiency of the dispersions and on the electrochemical behavior of the resulting modified electrodes. The results allow to conclude that an adequate selection of the polymers makes possible not only an efficient dispersion of CNTs but also, and even more important, the building of successful analytical platforms for the detection of different bioanalytes like NADH, glucose, DNA and dopamine.     

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity of Ni‐CNT Nanocomposites for Simultaneous Determination of Epinephrine and Dopamine

A promising electrochemical sensor based nickel‐carbon nanotube (Ni‐CNT) modified on glassy carbon (GC) electrode had been developed and the properties of the modified electrode were characterized by multispectroscopic analysis. The fabricated sensor (GC/Ni‐CNT) electrode was utilized to determine the catecholamines such as epinephrine and dopamine simultaneously. Differential pulse voltammetry and amperometry were used to verify the electrochemical behavior of the studied compounds. The GC/Ni‐CNT based amperometric sensor showed a wide linear range and low detection limit with high analytical sensitivity of 8.31 and 6.61 μA μM^?1 for EP and DA, respectively which demonstrates better characteristics compared to other electrodes reported in the literature. Further, no significant change in amperometric current response was observed in presence of biological interference species such as glucose, cysteine, citric acid, uric acid and ascorbic acid in the detection of EP and DA. The utility of this GC/Ni‐CNT electrode was well established for the determination of EP and DA in human urine samples.     

Amperometric glucose biosensor based on electrodeposition of platinum nanoparticles onto covalently immobilized carbon nanotube electrode

A new amperometric biosensor for glucose was developed based on adsorption of glucose oxidase (GOx) at the gold and platinum nanoparticles-modified carbon nanotube (CNT) electrode. CNTs were covalently immobilized on gold electrode via carbodiimide chemistry by forming amide linkages between carboxylic acid groups on the CNTs and amine residues of cysteamine self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The fabricated GOx/Au_nano/Pt_nano/CNT electrode was covered with a thin layer of Nafion to avoid the loss of GOx in determination and to improve the anti-interferent ability. The immobilization of CNTs on the gold electrode was characterized by quartz crystal microbalance technique. The morphologies of the CNT/gold and Pt_nano/CNT/gold electrodes have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemical performance of the gold, CNT/gold, Pt_nano/gold and Pt_nano/CNT/gold electrodes has also been studied by amperometric method. In addition, effects of electrodeposition time of Pt nanoparticles, pH value, applied potential and electroactive interferents on the amperometric response of the sensor were discussed.

The enzyme electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and rapid response for glucose in the absence of a mediator. The linear range was from 0.5 to 17.5 mM with correction coefficient of 0.996. The biosensor had good reproducibility and stability for the determination of glucose.     

Electrooxidation of catecholamines at carbon nanotube-modified indium tin oxide electrodes

In this study, we prepared carbon nanotube (CNT)/Nafion-modified ITO electrodes and investigated their electrochemical behavior. The CNTs were dissolved in a solution of the ionic polymer Nafion and then CNT/Nafion composite films were deposited onto ITO electrodes through spin-coating of this homogeneous solution. We studied the effects of chemical pretreatment of the CNTs and the pH of the buffer on the electroanalytical behavior of the CNT/Nafion-modified ITO electrodes toward catecholamines. The modified electrodes enhanced the peak current and lowered the overpotentials. We observed high electrooxidative performance for the modified ITO electrodes: the oxidative currents of the catecholamines were up to 125-fold higher than those obtained using bare ITO electrodes.     

Dispersion of multi-wall carbon nanotubes in polyethylenimine: A new alternative for preparing electrochemical sensors

In this work we report on the analytical performance of glassy carbon electrodes modified with a dispersion of multi-wall carbon nanotubes in polyethylenimine (GCE/(PEI/CNT)). The resulting electrodes show an excellent electrocatalytic activity toward different bioanalytes like ascorbic acid, dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (dopac) and hydrogen peroxide. An important decrease in the overvoltages for the oxidation of ascorbic acid (505 mV) and hydrogen peroxide (350 mV) and for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (450 mV), as well as a dramatic improvement in the reversibility of the electrochemical behavior of dopamine and dopac is obtained. The currents are higher than those obtained with other dispersant agents like Nafion, concentrated acids or chitosan, evidencing the high efficiency of the dispersion in PEI. The GCE/(PEI/CNT) demonstrated to be highly reproducible, with 3.0% RSD for the sensitivity of hydrogen peroxide for 10 electrodes prepared with five different dispersions. Differences in sensitivity of 10.0% were obtained for hydrogen peroxide with electrodes prepared using the same dispersion even after 14 days preparation. The CNT/PEI layer immobilized on glassy carbon electrodes has been also used as a platform for building supramolecular architectures based on the self-assembling of polyelectrolytes without any pretreatment of the electrode surface, oxidation or derivatization of the carbon nanotubes, just taking advantages of the polycationic nature of the polymer used for dispersing the nanotubes. The self-assembling of glucose oxidase has allowed us to obtain a supramolecular multistructure for glucose biosensing, with detection limits of 11 μM (0.02 g/L). Such an excellent performance of GCE/(PEI/CNT) toward hydrogen peroxide and the effectiveness of the use of CNT/PEI as a platform for obtaining supramolecular multistructures, represents a very good alternative for developing other enzymatic biosensors.     

Structure and Dynamics of Adsorbed Dopamine on Solvated Carbon Nanotubes and in a CNT Groove

Advanced carbon microelectrodes, including many carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based electrodes, are being developed for the in vivo detection of neurotransmitters such as dopamine (DA). Our prior simulations of DA and dopamine-o-quinone (DOQ) on pristine, flat graphene showed rapid surface diffusion for all adsorbed species, but it is not known how CNT surfaces affect dopamine adsorption and surface diffusivity. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the adsorbed structures and surface diffusion dynamics of DA and DOQ on CNTs of varying curvature and helicity. In addition, we study DA dynamics in a groove between two aligned CNTs to model the spatial constraints at the junctions within CNT assemblies. We find that the adsorbate diffusion on a solvated CNT surface depends upon curvature. However, this effect cannot be attributed to changes in the surface energy roughness because the lateral distributions of the molecular adsorbates are similar across curvatures, diffusivities on zigzag and armchair CNTs are indistinguishable, and the curvature dependence disappears in the absence of solvent. Instead, adsorbate diffusivities correlate with the vertical placement of the adsorbate’s moieties, its tilt angle, its orientation along the CNT axis, and the number of waters in its first hydration shell, all of which will influence its effective hydrodynamic radius. Finally, DA diffuses into and remains in the groove between a pair of aligned and solvated CNTs, enhancing diffusivity along the CNT axis. These first studies of surface diffusion on a CNT electrode surface are important for understanding the changes in diffusion dynamics of dopamine on nanostructured carbon electrode surfaces.     

Poly(brilliant green)/carbon nanotube-modified carbon film electrodes and application as sensors

Poly(brilliant green) (PBG) films were formed on carbon film electrodes (CFE) by electropolymerisation of brilliant green monomer using potential cycling or at fixed potential from different pH solutions. The modified electrodes, PBG/CFE, were characterised by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in electrolytes of different pH by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In order to increase the stability of the polymer film and enhance the response, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were first deposited on CFE and then PBG was formed on top, PBG/CNT/CFE. The modified electrodes were applied to the amperometric determination of ascorbic acid (AA) in phosphate buffer pH?7.0 at 0.0 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE) and the results were compared, the presence of CNT leading to a significant increase in sensitivity. An interference study was carried out and good separation between AA and dopamine (DA) peaks was achieved that led to the successful determination of DA without interferences. Other interferents: aspirin, acetaminophen, salicylic acid and uric acid exhibited no response on the PBG/CNT/CFE. Determination of AA in pharmaceutical samples was successfully performed.     

Simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, uric acid and neurotransmitters with a carbon ceramic electrode prepared by sol-gel technique

A sol-gel carbon composite electrode (CCE) has been prepared by mixing a sol-gel precursor (e.g. methyltrimethoxysilane) and carbon powder without adding any electron transfer mediator or specific reagents. It was demonstrated that this sensor can be used for simultaneous determination ascorbic acid, neurotransmitters (dopamine and adrenaline) and uric acid. Direct electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid, uric acid and catecholamines at a carbon composite electrode was investigated. The experimental results were compared with other common carbon based electrodes, specifically, boron doped diamond, glassy carbon, graphite and carbon paste electrodes. It was found that the CCE shows a significantly higher of reversibility for dopamine. In addition, in comparison to the other electrodes used, for CCE the oxidation peaks of uric acid, ascorbic acid and catecholamines in cyclic and square wave voltammetry were well resolved at the low positive potential with good sensitivity. The advantages of this sensor were high sensitivity, inherent stability and simplicity and ability for simultaneous determination of uric acid, catecholamines and ascorbic acid without using any chromatography or separation systems. The analytical performance of this sensor has been evaluated for detection of biological molecules in urine and serum as real samples.     

Analytical applications of glassy carbon electrodes modified with multi-wall carbon nanotubes dispersed in polyethylenimine as detectors in flow systems

This work reports the advantages of using glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) modified with multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT) dispersed in polyethylenimine (PEI) as detectors in flow injection and capillary electrophoresis. The presence of the dispersion of CNT in PEI at the electrode surface allows the highly sensitive and reproducible determination of hydrogen peroxide, different neurotransmitters (dopamine (D) and its metabolite dopac, epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE)), phenolic compounds (phenol (P), 3-chlorophenol (3-CP) and 2,3-dichlorophenol (2,3CP)) and herbicides (amitrol). Sensitivities enhancements of 150 and 140 folds compared to GCE were observed for hydrogen peroxide and amitrol, respectively. One of the most remarkable properties of the resulting electrode is the antifouling effect of the CNT/PEI layer. No passivation was observed either for successive additions (30) or continuous flow (for 30 min) of the compounds under investigation, even dopac or phenol. A critical comparison of the amperometric and voltammetric signal of these different analytes at bare- and PEI-modified glassy carbon electrodes and pyrolytic graphite electrodes is also included, demonstrating that the superior performance of CNT is mainly due to their unique electrochemical properties. Glassy carbon electrodes modified with CNT-PEI dispersion also show an excellent performance as amperometric detector in the electrophoretic separation of phenolic compounds and neurotransmitters making possible highly sensitive and reproducible determinations.     

Bioanalytical Application of the Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Modified Electrodes

An ordered mesoporous carbon modified electrode (OMCE) was prepared by film forming method. The electrochemical behavior of the OMCE was evaluated in connection with the electrochemistry of some electroactive biospecies, such as ascorbic acid (AA), acetaminophenol (AP), cysteine (CySH), dopamine (DA), epinephrine (EP), uric acid (UA), β‐nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced disodium salt hydrate, NADH), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) with cyclic voltammetry. Compared with the conventional carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphite powder (GP) modified electrodes, the OMCE provided the best electrochemical reactivities in all cases associated with decreased over potential, better‐defined peak shape, and higher sensitivity. In addition, the OMC, CNT, and GP modified electrodes were employed as sensitive sensors for H₂O₂ and NADH quantification and as stable platforms for the fabrication of glucose and ethanol biosensors on which the enzymes were immobilized.     

A highly selective and sensitive dopamine and uric acid biosensor fabricated with functionalized ordered mesoporous carbon and hydrophobic ionic liquid

An ordered mesoporous carbon material functionalized with carboxylic acid groups was synthesized. It was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform IR spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption/desorption. Furthermore, this material was used to modify an electrode surface combined with a hydrophobic ionic liquid. The functionalized ordered mesoporous carbon/ionic liquid gel modified electrode shows excellent electrocatalytic performances for the oxidation of dopamine, uric acid and ascorbic acid. The presence of the ionic liquid promotes the electron transfer. Linear responses for dopamine and uric acid were obtained in the ranges of 0.1 to 500 μM and from 0.1 to 100 μM with detection limits of 4.1 and 2.5 nM (signal-to-noise ratio of 3), respectively, under optimum conditions. A quick and sensitive biosensor based on functionalized ordered mesoporous carbon and an ionic liquid has been developed for the first time for the detection of dopamine and uric acid in the presence of a large amount of ascorbic acid.     

Direct amperometric detection of glucose on a multiple-branching carbon nanotube forest

We show here that a re-structured carbon nanotube (CNT) forest can be used 'as-received' for high selectivity, non-enzymatic glucose detection without the need to incorporate catalytic metal nanoparticles or an exclusion polymeric membrane. Direct amperometric sensing of glucose has been achieved by using multiply-branched CNTs prepared by growing secondary or tertiary 'offshoot' CNTs on top of the existing CNT layer. The increased roughness factor on these re-structured CNTs enhances the amperometric detection sensitivity for glucose by a factor of 20x over that of interfering species like ascorbic acid or uric acid. A sensitivity of 60 microA mM(-1) cm(-2) and a detection limit of 1 microM, with a linear detection range of 1-11 mM (R(2) = 0.999), could be attained on the re-grown CNTs. When the re-grown CNTs were subjected to further anodization in acid to introduce a highly-charged interface, the sensitivity to glucose was enhanced to 157 microA mM(-1) cm(-2).     

Carbon nanotube-modified electrodes for the simultaneous determination of dopamine and ascorbic acid

The voltammetric separation of dopamine and ascorbic acid was studied with cyclic voltammetry at two kinds of carbon nanotube-modified electrodes (coated and intercalated). The anodic peak difference reached 270 mV under the present conditions. The separation mechanism and effect factors were carefully studied. Using various types of surfactants as coating dispersants of carbon nanotubes, it was demonstrated that the charge nature of the surfactants had a strong effect on the electrochemical behavior of dopamine and ascorbic acid. When the oxidation solution of carbon nanotubes was changed from the most commonly used mixed concentrated nitric acid and sulfuric acid (1 + 3 v/v) to dilute nitric acid and to hydrochloric acid, the anodic peak separation value of dopamine and ascorbic acid increased significantly, and it was shown that carboxylic acid groups attached to the carbon nanotubes were an adverse factor for the discrimination of DA from AA. These results indicated that the resolution of DA and AA was mainly attributable to the stereo porous interfacial layer formed from aggregated pores and inner cavities of the carbon nanotubes. The modified electrodes exhibited an attractive ability to measure DA and AA simultaneously and showed good stability and reproducibility.     

羧基化单层碳纳米管修饰电极的电化学表征及其电催化作用

碳纳米管自 1 991年被发现 [1] 以来 ,因其独特的力学、电子特性及化学稳定性 ,成为世界范围内的研究热点之一 .它可以认为是将石墨层折叠成碳圆柱体的结果 ,分为多层碳纳米管 ( MWNT)和单层碳纳米管 ( SWNT) .依据其原子结构不同 ,碳纳米管将表现为金属或半导体 ,这种独特的电子特性使它有望成为新型分子器件 .因此 ,研究这种新型碳结构的电极特性具有十分重要的意义 .MWNT与溴仿等混合后装在玻璃毛细管内制成微电极 ,可用于探测生物电化学反应 ,结果明显优于其它碳电极 [2 ,3] .对 SWNT的电化学行为研究得较少 .目前仅有一篇有关 S…     

Development of the electrochemical biosensor for organophosphate chemicals using CNT/ionic liquid bucky gel electrode

Organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) immobilized on CNT/ionic liquid (IL) electrodes were prepared by using three different intrinsic kinds of ILs, as binders. CNTs/ILs lead to dramatic electrochemical enhancements with respect to response time, stability, and sensitivity of composite electrodes. In addition, the electrochemical and biocatalytic properties of three-composite electrodes were strongly influenced by different types of ILs used, as verified by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. These results were attributed to the conformational changes of the microenvironment between the OPH and the composite electrodes within three different types of ILs. In particular, the biocatalytic signals of three OPH/CNT/ILs-modified electrodes increased linearly to the concentration of paraoxon in a wide range of 2–20 μM. These findings provide a deep understanding of the role of each IL on the modified electrodes, enabling to enhance electrochemical properties for biosensors.     

Electrochemical oxidation of catecholamines and catechols at carbon nanotube electrodes

The differences in the electrochemical oxidation of two commonly known catecholamines, dopamine and norepinephrine, and one catechol, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), at three different types of carbon based electrodes comprising conventionally polished glassy carbon (GC), nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs), and non-doped CNTs were assessed. Raman microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to evaluate structural and compositional properties. Raman measurements indicate that N-CNT electrodes have ca. 2.4 times more edge plane sites over non-doped CNTs. XPS data show no evidence of oxygen functionalities at the surface of either CNT type. N-CNTs possess 4.0 at. % nitrogen as pyridinic, pyrrolic, and quaternary nitrogen functionalities that result in positively charged carbon surfaces in neutral and acidic solutions. The electrochemical behavior of the various carbon electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry conducted in pH 5.8 acetate buffer. Semiintegral analysis of the voltammograms reveals a significant adsorptive character of dopamine and norepinephrine oxidation at N-CNT electrodes. Larger peak splittings, DeltaE(p), for the cyclic voltammograms of both catecholamines and a smaller DeltaE(p) for the cyclic voltammogram for DOPAC at N-CNT electrodes suggest that electrostatic interactions hinder oxidation of cationic dopamine and norepinephrine, but facilitate anionic DOPAC oxidation. These observations were supported by titrimetry of solid suspensions to determine the pH of point of zero charge (pH(pzc)) and estimate the number of basic sites for both CNT varieties. This study demonstrates that carbon purity, the presence of exposed edge plane sites, surface charge, and basicity of CNTs are important factors for influencing adsorption and enhancing the electrochemical oxidation of catecholamines and catechols.