A hydrogen peroxide sensor based on a horseradish peroxidase/polyaniline/carboxy-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube modified gold electrode

We have developed a polyaniline/carboxy-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (PAn/MWCNTCOOH) nanocomposite by blending the emeraldine base form of polyaniline (PAn) and carboxy-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in dried dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at room temperature. The conductivity of the resulting PAn/MWCNTCOOH was 3.6 x 10(-3)S cm(-1), mainly as a result of the protonation of the PAn with the carboxyl group and the radical cations of the MWCNT fragments. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was immobilized within the PAn/MWCNTCOOH nanocomposite modified Au (PAn/MWCNTCOOH/Au) electrode to form HRP/PAn/MWCNTCOOH/Au for use as a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor. The adsorption between the negatively charged PAn/MWCNTCOOH nanocomposite and the positively charged HRP resulted in a very good sensitivity to H2O2 and an increased electrochemically catalytical current during cyclic voltammetry. The HRP/PAn/MWCNTCOOH/Au electrode exhibited a broad linear response range for H2O2 concentrations (86 mu M-10 mM). This sensor exhibited good sensitivity (194.9 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2)), a fast response time (2.9s), and good reproducibility and stability at an applied potential of -0.35V. The construction of the enzymatic sensor demonstrated the potential application of PAn/MWCNTCOOH nanocomposites for the detection of H2O2 with high performance and excellent stability. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.