Carbon Inks-Based Screen-Printed Electrodes for Qualitative Analysis of Amino Acids

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Amino acids are crucial biomolecules, necessitating reliable detection methods.
• Existing electrochemical platforms require enhancement for specific amino acid analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop a novel electrochemical platform for detecting electroactive amino acids.
• Focus on the qualitative analysis of tyrosine (Tyr) and tryptophan (Trp).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of screen-printed electrodes modified with PANI/ZnO nanowires.
• Characterization using scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.
• Electrochemical analysis via cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and differential pulse voltammetry.

Main Results:

• Confirmed the presence of PANI and ZnO nanowires on the modified electrodes.
• Demonstrated enhanced charge-transfer kinetics, lower resistance, and higher capacitance compared to unmodified electrodes.
• Achieved a peak separation exceeding 100 mV for tyrosine and tryptophan in mixed solutions.

Conclusions:

• The PANI/ZnO nanowires modified carbon ink screen-printed electrodes provide a sensitive platform for amino acid detection.
• The platform enables selective screening and identification of tyrosine and tryptophan.
• This technology is valuable for electrochemical analysis in proteomics research.