Decreased ascorbate sensitivity with nafion-coated carbon fibre electrodes in combination with copper(II) ions for the electrochemical determination of electroactive substances in vivo

A Nafion coating is applied on voltammetric carbon fibre electrodes. This treatment lowered the sensitivity to ascorbate and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and increased that for dopamine. Electrochemical oxidation with a 70-Hz, 3-V, anodic triangular-wave voltage was used for pretreatment before the Nafion coating. The inclusion of copper ions in the Nafion film further decreased the sensitivity to ascorbic acid, but did not significantly affect to dopamine or DOPAC. In-vitro equilibration with a buffer of appropriate copper concentration is recommended for pretreatment of carbon fibre electrodes before their use in in-vivo voltammetry.