Electrochemical Sensors for the Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species in Biological Systems: A Critical Review

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) involving superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical play important role in human health. ROS are known to be the markers of oxidative stress associated with different pathologies including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer. Accordingly, ROS level detection in biological systems is an essential problem for biomedical and analytical research. Electrochemical methods seem to have promising prospects in ROS determination due to their high sensitivity, rapidity, and simple equipment. This review demonstrates application of modern electrochemical sensors for ROS detection in biological objects (e.g., cell lines and body fluids) over a decade between 2011 and 2021. Particular attention is paid to sensors materials and various types of modifiers for ROS selective detection. Moreover, the sensors comparative characteristics, their main advantages, disadvantages and their possibilities and limitations are discussed.

Electrodes and electrocatalysts for electrochemical hydrogen peroxide sensors: a review of design strategies

H₂O₂ sensing is required in various biological and industrial applications, for which electrochemical sensing is a promising choice among various sensing technologies. Electrodes and electrocatalysts strongly influence the performance of electrochemical H₂O₂ sensors. Significant efforts have been devoted to electrode nanostructural designs and nanomaterial-based electrocatalysts. Here, we review the design strategies for electrodes and electrocatalysts used in electrochemical H₂O₂ sensors. We first summarize electrodes in different structures, including rotation disc electrodes, freestanding electrodes, all-in-one electrodes, and representative commercial H₂O₂ probes. Next, we discuss the design strategies used in recent studies to increase the number of active sites and intrinsic activities of electrocatalysts for H₂O₂ redox reactions, including nanoscale pore structuring, conductive supports, reducing the catalyst size, alloying, doping, and tuning the crystal facets. Finally, we provide our perspectives on the future research directions in creating nanoscale structures and nanomaterials to enable advanced electrochemical H₂O₂ sensors in practical applications.

Synthesis of Cu2O-Modified Reduced Graphene Oxide for NO2 Sensors

Nowadays, metal oxide semiconductors (MOS)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites have attracted significant research attention for gas sensing applications. Herein, a novel composite material is synthesized by combining two p-type semiconductors, i.e., Cu₂O and rGO, and a p-p-type gas sensor is assembled for NO₂ detection. Briefly, polypyrrole-coated cuprous oxide nanowires (PPy/Cu₂O) are prepared via hydrothermal method and combined with graphene oxide (GO). Then, the nanocomposite (rGO/PPy/Cu₂O) is obtained by using high-temperature thermal reduction under Ar atmosphere. The results reveal that the as-prepared rGO/PPy/Cu₂O nanocomposite exhibits a maximum NO₂ response of 42.5% and is capable of detecting NO₂ at a low concentration of 200 ppb. Overall, the as-prepared rGO/PPy/Cu₂O nanocomposite demonstrates excellent sensitivity, reversibility, repeatability, and selectivity for NO₂ sensing applications.

Direct chemical vapor deposition of graphene on plasma-etched quartz glass combined with Pt nanoparticles as an independent transparent electrode for non-enzymatic sensing of hydrogen peroxide

In this work, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method-grown graphene on plasma-etched quartz glass supported platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs/eQG) was constructed as an independent transparent electrode for non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) detection. Graphene grown on quartz glass by the CVD method can effectively reduce the wrinkles and pollution caused by traditional transfer methods. The addition of the CF₄ plasma-etched process accelerates the growth rate of graphene on quartz glass. The platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) prepared by in situ sputtering have favorable dispersibility and maximize exposed active catalytic sites on graphene, providing performance advantages in the application of H₂O₂ detection. The resulting sensor's detection limit (3.3 nM, S/N = 3), detection linear range (10 nM to 80 μM) and response time (less than 2 s) were significantly superior to other graphene supported PtNPs materials in sensing of H₂O₂. In addition, the material preparation method was related to the non-transfer CVD method and in situ sputtering technology, allowing for the creation of independent electrodes without additional electrode modification processes. This primitive material preparation and electrode assembly process were promoted for the application and development of practical H₂O₂ sensors.

In this work, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method-grown graphene on plasma-etched quartz glass supported platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs/eQG) was constructed as an independent transparent electrode for non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) detection.

Facile synthesis of a zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 with reduced graphene oxide hybrid material as an efficient electrocatalyst for nonenzymatic H2O2 sensing

A zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite was formed by using an efficient synthetic method. The morphology and structure of the ZIF-8/rGO nanocomposite were characterized by scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) mapping. The ZIF-8/rGO nanocomposites were immobilized on a carbon paste electrode (CPE) to construct a high-performance nonenzymatic electrochemical H2O2 sensor. A cyclic voltammetry (CV) study showed that the ZIF-8/rGO nanocomposites displayed better electrocatalytic activity toward H2O2 reduction compared to that of ZIF-8. An amperometric study indicated that the H2O2 sensor displayed high performance, which offered a low detection limit (0.05 μM) (S/N = 3), a high sensitivity (4.01 μA mM-1 cm-2), and a wide linear range (from 1.0 to 625 μM). An electrochemical reaction mechanism was proposed for H2O2 reduction on the ZIF-8/rGO/CPE. Importantly, the as-fabricated H2O2 sensor exhibited good reproducibility and excellent selectivity. Furthermore, the constructed high-performance sensor was utilized to monitor the H2O2 levels in real samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. These results demonstrated that the ZIF-8/rGO nanocomposite can be used as a good electrochemical sensor material in practical applications.