A Portable Electrochemical Dopamine Detector Using a Fish Scale-Derived Graphitized Carbon-Modified Screen-Printed...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Developing sensitive and selective electrochemical sensors is crucial for early disease diagnosis.
• Utilizing sustainable and abundant precursors for electrode materials is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare highly conductive alkali-activated graphitized carbon (a-GC) from tilapia fish scales.
• To develop a flexible portable electrochemical sensing platform for dopamine detection.
• To evaluate the sensor's performance in detecting dopamine in human sweat samples.

Main Methods:

• Tilapia fish scales were processed via enzymolysis, activation, and pyrolytic carbonization to create a-GC.
• The a-GC material was modified onto a screen-printed carbon electrode.
• Differential pulse voltammetry was employed for dopamine detection using a portable electrochemical workstation and smartphone integration.

Main Results:

• The a-GC material exhibited high electrical conductivity, large specific surface area, and abundant active sites.
• The sensor demonstrated excellent sensitivity and selectivity for dopamine detection.
• A wide linear range (1.0–1000.0 μmol/L) and a low detection limit (0.25 μmol/L) for dopamine were achieved.
• Satisfactory results were obtained for dopamine determination in human sweat samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed a-GC based sensor is a promising platform for sensitive and selective dopamine detection.
• This technology offers potential for noninvasive early diagnosis and monitoring through sweat analysis.
• The use of fish scales as a precursor highlights a sustainable approach to sensor development.