A Nanometer-Sized Graphite/Boron-Doped Diamond Electrochemical Sensor for Sensitive Detection of Acetaminophen

A boron-doped diamond (BDD) has been widely used as an outstanding electrode for constructing high-performance electrochemical biosensors. In this paper, we fabricated a novel electrode combined of nanometer-sized graphite-BDD film (NG-BDD) by chemical vapor deposition. The nanometer-sized graphite (NG) is formed on the (111) facet of BDD via converting an sp³ diamond structure to an sp² graphitic phase at high temperature in boron-rich ambient. The electrode was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This NG-BDD was performed as an electrode of electrochemical biosensor to detect trace acetaminophen (APAP) accurately. Cyclic voltammetry and differential normal pulse voltammetry are used to investigate the overall performance of the electrochemical device. The sensor has a linear electrochemical response to APAP in the concentration range of 0.02-50 μM, and the detection limit is estimated to be as low as 5 nM. The research has resulted in a solution of constructing a reusable NG-BDD sensor to detect APAP with stability and show potential in extensive application.