One-step construction of an electrode modified with electrodeposited Au/SiO2 nanoparticles, and its application to the determination of NADH and ethanol

A new electrode was developed by one-step potentiostatic electrodeposition (at -2.0 V for 20 s) of Au/SiO2 nanoparticles on a glassy carbon electrode. The resulting electrode (nano-Au/SiO2/GCE) was characterized by scanning electronic microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. The electrochemical behavior of dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) at the nano-Au/SiO2/GCE were thoroughly investigated. Compared to the unmodified electrode, the overpotential decreased by about 300 mV, and the current response significantly increased. These changes indicated that the modified electrode showed excellent catalytic activity in the oxidation of NADH. A linear relationship was obtained in the NADH concentration range from 1.0x10(-6) to 1.0x10(-4) molL(-1). In addition, amperometric sensing of ethanol at the nano-Au/SiO2/GCE in combination with alcohol dehydrogenase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide was successfully demonstrated. A wide linear response was also found for ethanol in the range from 5.0x10(-5) to 1.0x10(-3) molL(-1) and 1.0x10(-3) to 1.0x10(-2) mol L-1, respectively. The method was successfully applied to determine ethanol in beer and biological samples.