Direct electrochemistry of cytochrome C at nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond

Direct electron transfer of horse heart cytochrome c is measured at a nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond thin-film electrode. A quasi-reversible, diffusion-controlled cyclic voltammetric response is observed for untreated diamond. The peak currents change linearly with the concentration, and importantly, there is no electrode fouling. The results, observed for a hydrogen-terminated and uncharged surface, (i.e., no ionizable carbon-oxygen functional groups), raise interesting questions about the necessary surface interactions of cytochrome c for relatively rapid electrode kinetics.