A tantalum electrode coated with graphene nanowalls for simultaneous voltammetric determination of dopamine, uric acid, L-tyrosine, and hydrochlorothiazide

A voltammetric sensor based on a reduced graphene oxide/β-cyclodextrin/silver nanoparticle/polyoxometalate nanocomposite for detecting uric acid and tyrosine

In the present work, an electrochemical sensor based on reduced graphene oxide/β-cyclodextrin/silver nanoparticle/polyoxometalate (RGO-CD-AgNP-POM) was developed for the simultaneous detection of uric acid (UA) and L-tyrosine (L-Tyr). First, an RGO-CD-AgNP-POM nanocomposite was synthesized via a simple photoreduction method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray imaging (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). As an electrode material, RGO-CD-AgNP-POM showed wide linear ranges (0.5-500 μM for UA, and 1-400 μM for L-Tyr) and relatively low detection limits (0.11 μM for UA, and 0.23 μM for L-Tyr). In addition, the combination of supramolecular recognition from CD and excellent electrochemical performances from RGO, AgNPs and POM was expected to enhance the sensing performances toward UA and L-Tyr in real samples with favorable recovery ranges (99%-104%). This nanocomposite provides a new platform for developing the family of electrode materials.

Diuretics in Different Samples: Update on the Pretreatment and Analysis Techniques

Diuretics are drugs that promote the excretion of water and electrolytes in the body and produce diuretic effects. Clinically, they are often used in the treatment of edema caused by various reasons and hypertension. In sports, diuretics are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Therefore, in order to monitor blood drug concentration, identify drug quality and maintain the fairness of sports competition, accurate, rapid, highly selective and sensitive detection methods are essential. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the pretreatment and detection of diuretics in various samples since 2015. Commonly used techniques to extract diuretics include liquid-liquid extraction, liquid-phase microextraction, solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, among others. Determination methods include methods based on liquid chromatography, fluorescent spectroscopy, electrochemical sensor method, capillary electrophoresis and so on. The advantages and disadvantages of various pretreatment and analytical techniques are elaborated. In addition, future development prospects of these techniques are discussed.

A label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on a gold-vertical graphene/TiO2 nanotube electrode for CA125 detection in oxidation/reduction dual channels

A label-free immunosensor was constructed in oxidation and reduction dual channel mode for the trace detection of cancer antigen 125 (CA125) in serum. The gold-vertical graphene/titanium dioxide (Au-VG/TiO₂) electrode was used as the signal-amplification platform, and cytosine and dopamine were used as probes in the oxidation and reduction channels, respectively. VG nanosheets were synthesized on a TiO₂ nanotube array via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and Au nanoparticles were deeply embedded on the surface and in the root of the VG nanosheets via electrodeposition. The CA125 antibody was then directly immobilized onto the electrode surface, benefitting from its natural affinity for Au nanoparticles. In the oxidation and reduction channels the CA125 antibody-Au-VG/TiO₂ immune electrode had the same response concentration range (0.01-1000 mU∙mL^-1) for the determination of the CA125 antigen. However, the oxidation channel had a higher sensitivity (14.82 μA•(log(mU•mL^-1))^-1 at a working potential of ~ 1.25 V vs. SCE), lower detection limit (0.0001 mU∙mL^-1), higher stability, and lower performance deviation than the reduction channel. This immunosensor was successfully used for CA125 detection in human serum. The recoveries of spiked serum samples ranged from 99.8 ± 0.5 to 100 ± 0.4%. The study on the difference in the sensing performance between oxidation and reduction channels provides a preliminary experimental reference for exploring dual-channel synchronous detection immunosensors and verifying the accuracy of the assay based on dual-channel data, which will promote the development of reliable electrochemical immunosensor technology.

Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor of Tyrosine Based on Chitosan/β- Cyclodextrin/Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes Composite Film

Background:

As a vital amino acid in the human body, tyrosine is indispensable in various biological processes, and therefore its accurate and simple determination is of crucial importance. In this work, a facile approach was developed to construct a molecularly imprinted sensor for tyrosine via co-electrodeposition of chitosan, β-cyclodextrin and tyrosine on the surface of indium tin oxide that was pre-coated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs).

Methods:

Benefitting from the excellent film-forming ability and the rich functional groups to form a hydrogen bond with target molecules, chitosan was utilized to form a recognition matrix. MWNTs and β-cyclodextrin were then introduced to enhance the selectivity and sensitivity to tyrosine, due to the subtle electronic, catalytic properties and possible π-π interaction of MWNTs with tyrosine, as well as recognition ability of β-cyclodextrin. The morphology of the imprinted films was characterized by a scanning electron microscope. The electrochemistry and tyrosine sensing performance were investigated in detail by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry.

Results:

Amperometry results showed that the imprinted sensor exhibited a linear range of 1.0×10−6 to 1.0×10−4 M and 1.0×10−4 to 1.0×10−3 M for tyrosine determination, with a detection limit of 6.0 × 10−7 M (S/N=3). Moreover, a satisfactory recovery in the range of 99.0% to 105.1% was obtained with the application of the imprinted sensor in artificial urine samples analysis.

Conclusion:

The imprinted electrode is reusable with satisfactory reproducibility and stability in tyrosine determination.

Electrochemical Amino Acid Sensing: A Review on Challenges and Achievements

The rapid growth of research in electrochemistry in the last decade has resulted in a significant advancement in exploiting electrochemical strategies for assessing biological substances. Among these, amino acids are of utmost interest due to their key role in human health. Indeed, an unbalanced amino acid level is the origin of several metabolic and genetic diseases, which has led to a great need for effective and reliable evaluation methods. This review is an effort to summarize and present both challenges and achievements in electrochemical amino acid sensing from the last decade (from 2010 onwards) to show where limitations and advantages stem from. In this review, we place special emphasis on five well-known electroactive amino acids, namely cysteine, tyrosine, tryptophan, methionine and histidine. The recent research and achievements in this area and significant performance metrics of the proposed electrochemical sensors, including the limit of detection, sensitivity, stability, linear dynamic range(s) and applicability in real sample analysis, are summarized and presented in separate sections. More than 400 recent scientific studies were included in this review to portray a rich set of ideas and exemplify the capabilities of the electrochemical strategies to detect these essential biomolecules at trace and even ultra-trace levels. Finally, we discuss, in the last section, the remaining issues and the opportunities to push the boundaries of our knowledge in amino acid electrochemistry even further.

Water-Stable 1D Double-Chain Cu Metal-Organic Framework-based Electrochemical Biosensor for Detecting l-Tyrosine

An electrochemical biosensor based on a water-stable one-dimensional double-chain Cu(II) metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF) directly was constructed for efficiently recognizing l-tyrosine (l-Tyr) in biomimic environments. Cu-MOF: {[Cu(bpe)(fdc) (H₂O)(DMF)]·0.5H₂O}_n (bpe = 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene, H₂fdc = 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, namely, Cu-1) was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. It was characterized by IR, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and PXRD techniques. Cu-1 exhibited extreme solvent and thermal stability as well as excellent electroconductive character. It was coated on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface to prepare an electrochemical biosensor (Cu-1/GCE) which showed preferable biosensing ability toward l-Tyr. This Cu-MOF electrochemical biosensor showed simple operation and high sensitivity toward l-Tyr in the concentration range from 0.01 to 0.09 mM. The detection limit is 5.822 μM. Furthermore, Cu-1/GCE showed extremely excellent selectivity to l-Tyr in a biomimic environment with several amino acid interferents. This new strategy exhibits great potential applications for designing MOFs with excellent electrochemical activity.

A voltammetric sensor based on reduced graphene oxide-hemin-Ag nanocomposites for sensitive determination of tyrosine

A novel voltammetric sensor was designed and used for the determination of l-tyrosine (l-Tyr) by surface modification of a glassy carbon electrode with reduced graphene oxide-hemin-Ag (rGO-H-Ag) nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method and characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The determination of l-Tyr was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and further quantified using differential pulse voltammetry. The results revealed a significant enhanced electrochemical oxidation effect for l-Tyr at the nanocomposites modified electrode. Two linear ranges from 0.1 to 100 μM and 100 to 1000 μM as well as a low detection limit of 30 nM (S/N = 3) were obtained. In addition, the sensor also demonstrated good selectivity, reproducibility and stability.

A novel electrochemical sensor for the sensitive determination of l-Tyr was designed with a rGO-H-Ag nanocomposite modified electrode.

Simultaneous Monitoring of Febuxostat and Uric Acid in Human Serum Samples Using the Direct Square-Wave Voltammetric Method

Background:

High uric acid serum level, hyperuricemia, is now associated with many diseases such as gout, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, coronary artery disease and diabetes. Febuxostat is a novel selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor approved for the treatment of hyperuricemia.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to develop a first analytical method for the simultaneous determination of febuxostat and uric acid.

Methods:

An unmodified boron-doped diamond electrode provided concurrent quantitation of drug at low levels and uric acid, which has clinical significance in the diagnosis and therapy of hyperuricemia, at relatively high concentrations. The direct square-wave voltammetric method was applied to the analysis of both analytes in human serum samples.

Results:

Under the optimized conditions, the linear response of peak current on febuxostat concentration was achieved in the range from 7.5 × 10-7 to 3 × 10-5 M, while uric acid showed two linear ranges of 5 × 10-6 - 5 × 10-5 M and 5 × 10-5 - 2 × 10-4 M. The method was successfully utilised for quantification of both analytes in human serum samples. Good recoveries were obtained without interference from common inorganic cations and anions as well as glucose, dopamine, ascorbic and folic acids at concentrations expected in physiological conditions.

Conclusion:

The great benefits of developed method are fast analysis (only 7.5 s for run), low cost and simplicity of performance.

Single-step growth of graphene and graphene-based nanostructures by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

The realization of many promising technological applications of graphene and graphene-based nanostructures depends on the availability of reliable, scalable, high-yield and low-cost synthesis methods. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) has been a versatile technique for synthesizing many carbon-based materials, because PECVD provides a rich chemical environment, including a mixture of radicals, molecules and ions from hydrocarbon precursors, which enables graphene growth on a variety of material surfaces at lower temperatures and faster growth than typical thermal chemical vapor deposition. Here we review recent advances in the PECVD techniques for synthesis of various graphene and graphene-based nanostructures, including horizontal growth of monolayer and multilayer graphene sheets, vertical growth of graphene nanostructures such as graphene nanostripes with large aspect ratios, direct and selective deposition of monolayer and multi-layer graphene on nanostructured substrates, and growth of multi-wall carbon nanotubes. By properly controlling the gas environment of the plasma, it is found that no active heating is necessary for the PECVD growth processes, and that high-yield growth can take place in a single step on a variety of surfaces, including metallic, semiconducting and insulating materials. Phenomenological understanding of the growth mechanisms are described. Finally, challenges and promising outlook for further development in the PECVD techniques for graphene-based applications are discussed.

Electrochemical determination of dopamine and uric acid using a glassy carbon electrode modified with a composite consisting of a Co(II)-based metalorganic framework (ZIF-67) and graphene oxide

A composite was prepared from a Co(II)-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) and graphene oxide (GO) by an in situ growth method. The material was electrodeposited on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The modified GCE was used for the simultaneous voltammetric determination of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA), typically at working potentials of 0.11 and 0.25 V (vs. SCE). The morphology and structure of the nanocomposite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The modified electrode exhibits excellent electroanalytical performance for DA and UA owing to the synergistic effect of the high electrical conductivity of GO and the porosity of ZIF-67. By applying differential pulse voltammetry, a linear response is found for DA in the 0.2 to 80 μM concentration range, and for UA between 0.8 and 200 μM, with detection limits of 50 and 100 nM (at S/N = 3), respectively. Further studies were performed on the effect of potential interferents, and on electrode stability and reproducibility. The modified GCE was applied to the simultaneous detection of DA and UA in spiked human urine and gave satisfying recoveries. Graphical abstract Schematic of the preparation procedure of GO-ZIF67 and electrochemical reaction mechanisms of UA and DA at the GO-ZIF67-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). GO: graphene oxide; ZIF-67: Co(II)-based zeolitic imidazolate framework.

Voltammetric sensing based on the use of advanced carbonaceous nanomaterials: a review

This review (with 210 references) summarizes recent developments in the design of voltammetric chemical sensors and biosensors based on the use of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs). It is divided into subsections starting with an introduction into the field and a description of its current state. This is followed by a large section on various types of voltammetric sensors and biosensors using CNMs with subsections on sensors based on the use of carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxides, graphene nanoribbons, fullerenes, ionic liquid composites with CNMs, carbon nanohorns, diamond nanoparticles, carbon dots, carbon nanofibers and mesoporous carbon. The third section gives conclusion and an outlook. Tables are presented on the application of such sensors to voltammetric detection of neurotransmitters, metabolites, dietary minerals, proteins, heavy metals, gaseous molecules, pharmaceuticals, environmental pollutants, food, beverages, cosmetics, commercial goods and drugs of abuse. The authors also describe advanced approaches for the fabrication of robust functional carbon nano(bio)sensors for voltammetric quantification of multiple targets. Graphical Abstract Featuring execellent electrical, catalytic and surface properies, CNMs have gained enormous attention for designing voltammetric sensors and biosensors. Functionalized CNM-modified electrode interfaces have demonstrated their prominent role in biological, environmental, pharmaceutical, chemical, food and industrial analysis.