Ultrathin Pd nanowire as a highly active electrode material for sensitive and selective detection of ascorbic acid

Nanomaterial modified electrode is useful for catalytic, analytical and biotechnological applications. Herein, a simple and sensitive method for the electrocatalytic detection of ascorbic acid (AA) using ultrathin Pd nanowire (NW) modified glassy carbon electrode is presented. Electrochemical data reveal that Pd NWs can effectively enhance the electron transfer between AA and electrode, and thus reduce the over-potential of AA oxidation. Particularly, the current-time curve shows that the catalytic oxidation current is linearly dependent on AA concentration in the range of 25 mu M-0.9 mM with a correlation coefficient 0.9998, and a detection limit of 0.2 mu M (S/N =3) is obtained with an excellent reproducibility. What is more, the present Pd NWs-based electrochemical sensing platform can successfully be used as enhanced element for the detection of AA in the practical samples such as human serum and vitamin C beverage with satisfactory results. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.