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Microscale reactor embedded with Graphene/hierarchical gold nanostructures for electrochemical sensing: application to the determination of dopamine

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Abstract

An integrated electrochemical sensing platform is presented, in which stable graphene nanosheets are entrapped within hierarchical gold nano/micro islands (NMI) for the selective detection of dopamine. The fabrication method, which combines lithography, electrodeposition and liquid exfoliation, results in a microscale fluidic reactor capable of handling small volumes (10 μl) of sample. This configuration has advantageous properties, including enhanced sensitivity towards current responses from redox reaction of dopamine to dopamine orthoquinone. The NMIs‘spatial orientation inhibits the agglomeration of graphene, while their nanostructured interface enhances adhesion to graphene nanosheets. In turn, this leads to an enlarged surface and to an accumulation of free electrons on the electrode surface. The superior electrocatalytic activity for dopamine is attributed to the high density of π-electrons on graphene nanosheets. In addition, the selectivity of the assay in the presence of other interferents is assumed to be a result of the sp2 π-interactions between the negatively charged graphene layer and the aromatic rings of dopamine. At a working potential of 0.15 V vs Ag/AgCl, the assay has a detection limit of 1.13 nM, a linear range of 1 nM- 100 μM, and apparent recoveries of 106% in spiked synthetic urine.

Schematic presentation of an integrated electrochemical sensing platform, in which stable graphene nanosheets are entrapped within hierarchical gold nano/micro islands (NMI) for selective detection of dopamine. Platinum (Pt) wire and Silver/Silver-Chloride (Ag/AgCl) were used as counter and reference electrode, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Faculty of Engineering at McGill University, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, G247765) and Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI, G248924) for financial support. The authors acknowledge Nanotools-Microfab and the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research at McGill University and the research facilities of NanoQAM at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0E9, Canada

    Mahsa Jalali, Elizabeth Filine, Samantha Dalfen & Sara Mahshid

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  1. Mahsa Jalali
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  2. Elizabeth Filine
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  4. Sara Mahshid
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Correspondence to Sara Mahshid.

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Jalali, M., Filine, E., Dalfen, S. et al. Microscale reactor embedded with Graphene/hierarchical gold nanostructures for electrochemical sensing: application to the determination of dopamine. Microchim Acta 187, 90 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-4059-4

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