Facile and novel synthesis of palladium nanoparticles supported on a carbon aerogel for ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing of biomolecules

Highly stable palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) supported on a porous carbon aerogel (Pd/CA) prepared by a facile microwave reduction route is reported. The as-prepared Pd/CA composites were characterized by various techniques, viz. XRD, Raman, SEM-EDX, FE-TEM, BET, and TGA. The Pd NPs were found to disperse uniformly in the porous carbon matrix, which possesses a large surface area (851.8 m(2) g(-1)) and pore volume (3.021 cm(3) g(-1)). The Pd/CA composite was found to possess extraordinary electrocatalytic activity and excellent selectivity for simultaneous detection of dopamine (DA) and melatonin (ML). The Pd/CA-modified electrode exhibited a wide linear response range for electrochemical sensing of DA (0.01-100 mu M) and ML (0.02-500 mu M) with a detection limit of 0.0026 and 0.0071 mu M, respectively. In addition, the electrochemical sensor reported herein was successfully applied for the detection of DA and ML in human serum and urine samples, revealing perspective practical applications.