Electrochemically deposited Pd nanorod array/sol-gel silica thin film for the fabrication of electrochemical sensors

Pd nanorod array modified sol-gel silica thin film was prepared by electro-deposition method. In solution containing silica precursor and surfactant, the film can be self-assembled onto the electrode surface under a suitable potential. The synthesized silica film was composed of mesopore channels that were oriented perpendicular to the electrode surface. If PdCl2 solution was added into the above precursor, the mesopore channels can be used as template for the growth of Pd nanorod array. The structure of the film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrocatalytic activity of the thin film was investigated for the detection of different important compounds, such as glucose, dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA). Experimental results demonstrated that the modified electrode could achieve non-enzymatic detection of glucose, as well as the simultaneously detection of DA and UA in the mixture that contains ascorbic acid (AA), UA and DA. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.