Electrochemical Detection of Uric Acid Based on a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Ta2O5 Recovered from Ore by a Novel Method

Except for well-known commercial production procedures, this study demonstrates that Ta2O5 particles can be produced. Through a series of steps, highly pure Ta2O5 particles (99.45%) were produced from the raw ore. We have electrochemically detected one of the important nitrogenous compounds present in urine, "uric acid", by a Ta2O5 particle-modified carbon paste electrode (Ta2O5-MCPE) using cyclic voltammetry. The prepared electrode has shown excellent current sensitivity at a pH of 6.0 phosphate-buffered solution. We have found that 4 mg Ta2O5-MCPE has recorded the highest current sensitivity of 75.75 μA. The oxidation peak current was varied with the uric acid concentration in the range from 1 to 5 mM at 4 mg Ta2O5-MCPE. We have calculated the electrode-active surface area for a bare carbon paste electrode and 4 mg Ta2O5-MCPE using the Randles-Sevcik equation, and the values were found to be 0.0202 and 0.0450 cm2, respectively. On the other hand, the calculated values of limit of detection and limit of quantification were reported as 0.5937 × 10-8 M and 1.9791 × 10-8 M, respectively, for the prepared 4 mg Ta2O5-MCPE. The interfere studies revealed that the variation in the electrochemical signal of uric acid in the presence of different metal ions was found to be less than ±5%.

Portable smartphone integrated 3D-Printed electrochemical sensor for nonenzymatic determination of creatinine in human urine

3D printing technologies are an attractive for fabricating electrochemical sensors due to their ease of operation, freedom of design, fast prototyping, low waste, and low cost. We report the fabrication of a simple 3D-printed electrochemical sensing device for non-enzymatic detection of creatinine, an important indicator of renal function. To create the 3D-printed electrodes (3DE), carbon black/polylactic acid (CB/PLA) composite filament was used. The 3DE was activated using 0.5 M NaOH via amperometry prior to use to improve electrochemical performance. To give selectivity for creatinine, the activated 3DE was modified with a copper oxide nanoparticle-ionic liquid/reduced graphene oxide (CuO-IL/rGO) composite. The modified 3DE was characterized using microscopy and electrochemistry. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry were used to evaluate sensor performance. The modified 3DE provided electrocatalytic activity towards creatinine without enzymes. Under optimal conditions, the modified 3DE directly coupled with a portable smartphone potentiostat exhibited the linear detection range of 0.5-35.0 mM, and the limit of detection was 37.3 μM, which is sufficient for detecting creatinine in human urine samples. Furthermore, the other physiological compounds present in human urine were not detected on the modified 3DE. Therefore, the modified 3DE could be a tool for effective creatinine screening in the urine.