Molecular Engineered Carbon-Based Sensor for Ultrafast and Specific Detection of Neurotransmitters

Abstract

In the quest for designing affordable diagnostic devices with high performance, precisely functionalized carbon-based materials with high accuracy and selectivity are required. Every material has its own unique ability to interact with the analyte, and its performance can be enhanced by probing the interaction mechanism. Herein, p-aminophenol (PAP)-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanoscale material is developed by a one-step synthetic route as an all-organic-based sensor. As the PAP molecules are precisely covalently interacted with the rGO at the basal plane and form a wrinkled-paper-like structure, the functionalized material exhibits an outstanding sensing ability (7.5 nM neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) at a wide linear range, 0.01–100 μM) with fast electrical transduction (<3 s) and good recyclability (∼10 cycles) in a real sample. Combining various analytical and density functional theory (DFT) calculation methods, physicochemical properties and the interaction mechanism of analyte–materials transduction are discussed exclusively. Besides, the potential application of the well-dispersed rGO-PAP gravure ink in flexible-printed electronics fields is explored. This study not only provides new insights into the surface/interface chemistry and working principle of this unique anchoring of PAP on rGO but also offers a new pathway for developing other forms of metal-free/organic functionalized biosensors with high efficiency.

Significance of an Electrochemical Sensor and Nanocomposites: Toward the Electrocatalytic Detection of Neurotransmitters and Their Importance within the Physiological System

“…When we incorporate nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) onto bare electrodes, such as Ag, Pt, Au, and GCE, it improves the ability of electrochemical detectors in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. 17 −19 Carbon-based nanomaterials can be considered as outstanding materials for the incorporation in the area of biosensing to detect NTs, 20 agricultural pollutants, 21 and pharmaceutical pollutants. 22 Here, in this review article, we summarized all of the insight views on history, the significance of an electrochemical sensor and nanocomposites toward the electrocatalytic detection of NTs, and possible aspects.…”

Immobilized Molecules’ Impact on the Efficacy of Nanocarbon Organic Sensors for Ultralow Dopamine Detection in Biofluids

“…Preparation of PAP-, PAB-, and PAS-Anchored 2D-rGO: A modified synthesis procedure was followed from the previous work. [68] Briefly, 50 mg of rGO was added into a round bottom flask containing 50 mL of MilliQ water and sonicated for 15 min. Then, with constant stirring, 100 mg of PAP, [or] PAB, [or] PAS was gradually added in five separate batches (each batch having 20 mg).…”

“…The same calculation method was followed from the previous work. [ 68 ] The reaction enthalpy ( H ) or free energy ( G ) of the corresponding chemical reactions shown in Figure S11 (Supporting Information) was determined from the first‐principles calculations. The results were obtained from a geometry optimization using DMol3, which provided the information of the total energy (electronic and ionic) ( E tot ) and Gibbs free energy ( G tot 298.15 K ) of the system at 298.15 K.…”

“…Thus, a highly efficient new carbon-based organic sensor must be designed as a single component to suit the users' needs. [66] The one-step molecular engineering (ME) approach [67][68][69][70] is adopted in this work to tune both the physical and chemical characteristics of the desirable material. This technique has drawn much attention among experts after the award of the Nobel Prize in chemistry this year.…”

“…The one‐step molecular engineering (ME) approach [ 67–70 ] is adopted in this work to tune both the physical and chemical characteristics of the desirable material. This technique has drawn much attention among experts after the award of the Nobel Prize in chemistry this year.…”