Picomolar Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide at Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with NAD+and Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Excimer Laser Patterned Holey Graphene Oxide Films for Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Sensing

The existence of point defects, holes, and corrugations (macroscopic defects) induces high catalytic potential in graphene and its derivatives. We report a systematic approach for microscopic and macroscopic defect density optimization in excimer laser-induced reduced graphene oxide by varying the laser energy density and pulse number to achieve a record detection limit of 7.15 nM for peroxide sensing. A quantitative estimation of point defect densities was obtained using Raman spectroscopy and confirmed with electrochemical sensing measurements. Laser annealing (LA) at 0.6 J cm^-2 led to the formation of highly reduced graphene oxide (GO) by liquid-phase regrowth of molten carbon with the presence of dangling bonds, making it catalytically active. Hall-effect measurements yielded a mobility of ∼200 cm² V^-1 s^-1. An additional increase in the number of pulses at 0.6 J cm^-2 resulted in deoxygenation through the solid-state route, leading to the formation of holey graphene structure. The average hole size showed a hierarchical increase, with the number of pulses characterized with multiple microscopy techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The exposure of edge sites due to high hole density after 10 pulses supported the formation of proximal diffusion layers, which led to facile mass transfer and improvement in the detection limit from 25.4 mM to 7.15 nM for peroxide sensing. However, LA at 1 J cm^-2 with 1 pulse resulted in a high melt lifetime of molten carbon and the formation of GO characterized by a high resistivity of 3 × 10^-2 Ω-cm, which was not ideal for sensing applications. The rapid thermal annealing technique using a batch furnace to generate holey graphene results in structure with uneven hole sizes. However, holey graphene formation using the LA technique is scalable with better control over hole size and density. This study will pave the path for cost-efficient and high-performance holey graphene sensors for advanced sensing applications.

Sarcosine Prostate Cancer Biomarker Detection by Controlling Oxygen in NiOx Membrane on Vertical Silicon Nanowires in Electrolyte-Insulator-Nanowire Structure

Sarcosine prostate cancer biomarker with the low concentration of 1 pM has been detected by controlling oxygen from 1 to 15 sccm in a NiO_x membrane on chemically etched vertical Si nanowires (SiNWs) in an electrolyte-insulator-nanowire (EIN) structure. The vertical Si nanowires with approximately 17 μm length and polycrystalline NiO_x membrane are observed by both field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images, respectively. The optimized NiO_x membrane with oxygen content of 4 sccm on planar SiO_x/Si substrate shows good pH sensitivity of approximately 50 mV/pH, low hysteresis of 3.4 mV, and low drift rate of 2.4 mV/h as compared to other oxygen content membranes of 1, 10, and 15 sccm. Further, uric acid with the concentration of 0.1 μM is detected directly by using the optimized NiO_x membrane. In addition, repeatable H₂O₂ sensing with the low concentration of 10 pM as well as prostate cancer biomarker is detected, which is owing to the reduction-oxidation phenomena of the NiO_x membranes. The sensing mechanism is owing to the Ni²⁺/Ni³⁺ oxidation states of the NiO_x membrane, which is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The optimized NiO_x membrane on vertical Si nanowire in the EIN structure shows a good drift rate of 3.84 mV/h and sarcosine detection with improvement of approximately 1000 times as compared to the planar Si in an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) structure. This sensor paves a way to detect early-stage diagnosis of prostate cancer rapidly in the near future.

A gold electrode modified with a nanoparticulate film composed of a conducting copolymer for ultrasensitive voltammetric sensing of hydrogen peroxide

A film consisting of poly(γ-glutamic acid) modified with 3-aminothiophene (ATh-γ-PGA) was prepared by macromolecular self-assembly and electropolymerization. ATh-γ-PGA is amphiphilic and electrically conductive. The copolymers undergo self-assembly to form nanoparticles (NPs) on decreasing the pH value of an aqueous solution. A conducting film of NPs was formed on the surface of a gold electrode by casting the ATh-γ-PGA NPs and subsequently electropolymerizing the thiophene units. Next, horseradish peroxidase and Nafion were cast onto the film to obtain an enzymatic biosensor for H₂O₂. Due to the electropolymerization step, a cross-conjugated polymer network is created that improves electron transfer rates and thus enhances the response. This endows the biosensor with high sensitivity. Two linear ranges are present, the first ranging from 1 × 10^-11 to 1 × 10^-8 mol·L^-1, and the second from 1 × 10^-8 to 1 × 10^-5 mol·L^-1. The detection limit is as low as 3 × 10^-12 mol·L^-1. The sensor is stable, repeatable, and was successfully applied to the determination of H₂O₂ in a commercial disinfecting solution. Graphical abstract Preparation of a conducting nanoparticle (NP) film on the gold electrode (GE) by self-assembly of poly(γ-glutamic acid) that was modified with electroactive 3-aminothiophene (ATh-γ-PGA). It served as a platform for the fabricationof an ultrasensitive voltammetric enzyme-based biosensor for H₂O₂.

Recent advances in electrochemical sensing for hydrogen peroxide: a review

Due to the significance of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in biological systems and its practical applications, the development of efficient electrochemical H(2)O(2) sensors holds a special attraction for researchers. Various materials such as Prussian blue (PB), heme proteins, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and transition metals have been applied to the construction of H(2)O(2) sensors. In this article, the electrocatalytic H(2)O(2) determinations are mainly focused on because they can provide a superior sensing performance over non-electrocatalytic ones. The synergetic effect between nanotechnology and electrochemical H(2)O(2) determination is also highlighted in various aspects. In addition, some recent progress for in vivo H(2)O(2) measurements is also presented. Finally, the future prospects for more efficient H(2)O(2) sensing are discussed.

Noncovalent attachment of NAD+ cofactor onto carbon nanotubes for preparation of integrated dehydrogenase-based electrochemical biosensors

This study describes a facile approach to the preparation of integrated dehydrogenase-based electrochemical biosensors through noncovalent attachment of an oxidized form of beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) onto carbon nanotubes with the interaction between the adenine subunit in NAD(+) molecules and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetric results suggest that NAD(+) is noncovalently attached onto MWCNTs to form an NAD(+)/MWCNT composite that acts as the electronic transducer for the integrated dehydrogenase-based electrochemical biosensors. With glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) as a model dehydrogenase-based recognition unit, electrochemical studies reveal that glucose is readily oxidized at the GDH/NAD(+)/MWCNT-modified electrode without addition of NAD(+) in the phosphate buffer. The potential for the oxidation of glucose at the GDH/NAD(+)/MWCNT-modified electrode remains very close to that for NADH oxidation at the MWCNT-modified electrode, but it is more negative than those for the oxidation of glucose at the MWCNT-modified electrode and for NADH oxidation at a bare glassy carbon electrode. These results demonstrate that NAD(+) molecules stably attached onto MWCNTs efficiently act as the cofactor for the dehydrogenases. MWCNTs employed here not only serve as the electronic transducer and the support to confine NAD(+) cofactor onto the electrode surface, but also act as the electrocatalyst for NADH oxidation in the dehydrogenase-based electrochemical biosensors. At the GDH/NAD(+)/MWCNT-based glucose biosensor, the current is linear with the concentration of glucose being within a concentration range from 10 to 300 microM with a limit of detection down to 4.81 microM (S/N = 3). This study offers a facile and versatile approach to the development of integrated dehydrogenase-based electrochemical devices, such as electrochemical biosensors and biofuel cells.

A review on direct electrochemistry of catalase for electrochemical sensors

Catalase (CAT) is a heme enzyme with a Fe^(III/II) prosthetic group at its redox centre. CAT is present in almost all aerobic living organisms, where it catalyzes the disproportionation of H₂O₂ into oxygen and water without forming free radicals. In order to study this catalytic mechanism in detail, the direct electrochemistry of CAT has been investigated at various modified electrode surfaces with and without nanomaterials. The results show that CAT immobilized on nanomaterial modified electrodes shows excellent catalytic activity, high sensitivity and the lowest detection limit for H₂O₂ determination. In the presence of nanomaterials, the direct electron transfer between the heme group of the enzyme and the electrode surface improved significantly. Moreover, the immobilized CAT is highly biocompatible and remains extremely stable within the nanomaterial matrices. This review discusses about the versatile approaches carried out in CAT immobilization for direct electrochemistry and electrochemical sensor development aimed as efficient H₂O₂ determination. The benefits of immobilizing CAT in nanomaterial matrices have also been highlighted.