Analytical Applications of Electrochemically Pretreated Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

The several outstanding properties of boron-doped diamond electrodes (BDDEs) have allowed their application for various purposes, among them electrochemical sensing. However, the electrochemical response of many redox species on BDDEs can be strongly dependent on whether their surfaces are predominantly hydrogen- (HT) or oxygen-terminated (OT). Fortuitously, electrochemical pretreatments themselves can be used to enrich in situ the BDEE surface in one or the other type of termination. The surface of a cathodically pretreated BBDE (CPT-BDDE) becomes enriched in HTs, whereas that of an anodically pretreated BDDE (APT-BDEE) becomes enriched in OTs. Thus, when suitable, the electrochemical activity of a BDDE for a given analyte may be tuned by electrochemical pretreatments, yielding enhanced sensing properties. The main purpose of this review is the compilation and discussion of papers published after 2009 reporting on electroanalytical applications based on a CPT-BDDE or an APT-BDDE. Procedures to perform proper electrochemical pretreatments are also discussed.