Gold nanocages decorated biocompatible amine functionalized graphene as an efficient dopamine sensor platform

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Dopamine (DA) is a vital neurotransmitter regulating movement and emotion.
• Sensitive and rapid detection of DA is challenging due to interference from other biomolecules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive electrochemical sensor for dopamine detection.
• To synthesize and characterize a gold nanocage and chemically modified graphene oxide nanocomposite (GNCs/CMG).

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of chemically modified graphene oxide (CMG) via amine modification.
• Fabrication of gold nanocages (GNCs) using galvanic replacement.
• Preparation of GNCs/CMG nanocomposite and its modification onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE).
• Electrochemical analysis of dopamine using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry.

Main Results:

• The GNCs/CMG nanocomposite showed uniform decoration of GNCs on graphene nanosheets.
• The GNCs/CMG modified electrode (GNCs/CMG/GCE) demonstrated a linear detection range for dopamine from 0.1 to 80 μM.
• A low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.02 μM was achieved.
• The sensor exhibited excellent reproducibility, stability, and selectivity, even in the presence of ascorbic acid.

Conclusions:

• The GNCs/CMG nanocomposite is a promising material for sensitive and selective electrochemical detection of dopamine.
• The developed sensor shows potential for real-world applications, including the determination of dopamine in human serum samples.