Screen-printed analytical strip constructed with bacteria-templated porous N-doped carbon nanorods/Au nanoparticles for sensitive electrochemical detection of dopamine molecules

Dopamine (DA) as an important neurotransmitter plays an important role in physiological activities, and its abnormal level can cause diseases such as Parkinson's disease. However, the clinical analysis of DA mainly relies on time-consuming and expensive liquid chromatography and molecular spectrometer. We present here a design and fabrication of inexpensive strip sensor constructed from screen printed electrodes for sensitive and selective detection of DA. The ink used for printing the strips contains Shewanella putrefaciens-templated porous N-doped carbon nanorods (N-doped CN) and Au nanoparticles (Au NPs), in which the N-doping enhances CN's negative charge to electrostatically attract the positively charged DA with strong adsorption for achieving fast electron transfer. Moreover, results indicate that the Au NPs impregnation in N-doped CN renders much more catalytic reaction sites toward DA oxidation current. The strip sensor exhibits high sensitivity for DA detection with a broad linear range of 0.02-700 mu M and a low detection limit of 0.007 mu M as well as good selectivity and superior flexibility for great potential in wearable applications. The strip sensor further performs an accurate detection of DA in human serum, providing a powerful analytical tool for diagnosis of DA related diseases in clinical analysis.

Automated summary

The study presents a cost-effective strip sensor for sensitive and selective detection of dopamine, exhibiting high sensitivity, a broad linear range, low detection limit, good selectivity, and flexibility for wearable applications and clinical analysis, providing a powerful analytical tool for diagnosis of dopamine-related diseases.