Sensitive electrochemical sensor of tryptophan based on Ag@C core-shell nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode.

We here reported a simple electrochemical method for the detection of tryptophan (Trp) based on the Ag@C modified glassy carbon (Ag@C/GC) electrode. The Ag@C core-shell structured nanoparticles were synthesized using one-pot hydrothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The electrochemical behaviors of Trp on Ag@C/GC electrode were investigated and exhibited a direct electrochemical process. The favorable electrochemical properties of Ag@C/GC electrode were attributed to the synergistic effect of the Ag core and carbon shell. The carbon shell cannot only protect Ag core but also contribute to the enhanced substrate accessibility and Trp-substrate interactions, while nano-Ag core can display good electrocatalytic activity to Trp at the same time. Under the optimum experimental conditions the oxidation peak current was linearly dependent on the Trp concentration in the range of 1.0×10(-7) to 1.0×10(-4) M with a detection limit of 4.0×10(-8) M (S/N=3). In addition, the proposed electrode was applied for the determination of Trp concentration in real samples and satisfactory results were obtained. The technique offers enhanced sensitivity and may trigger the possibilities of the Ag@C nanocomposite towards diverse applications in biosensor and electroanalysis.

Mao S ，Li W ，Long Y ，Tu Y ，Deng A ... -  《-》

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles-graphene oxide nanocomposite and its application in electrochemical sensing of tryptophan.

A new kind of nanocomposite based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)/graphene oxide (GO) was conveniently achieved through a green and low-cost synthesis approach using glucose as a reducing and stabilizing agent, and the synthetic procedure can be easily used for the construction of a disposable electrochemical sensor on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The nanocomposite was detailedly characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The experimental results demonstrated that the nanocomposite possessed the specific features of both silver nanoparticles and graphene, and the intrinsic high specific area and the fast electron transfer rate ascribed to the nanohybrid structure could improve its electrocatalytic performance greatly. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were employed to evaluate the electrochemical properties of AgNPs/GO/GCE towards tryptophan, and the AgNPs/GO film exhibited a distinctly higher activity for the electro-oxidation of tryptophan than GO film with tenfold enhancement of peak current. The oxidation mechanism and the kinetic parameters were investigated, and analysis operation conditions were optimized. Under the selected experimental conditions, the oxidation peak currents were proportional to tryptophan concentrations over the range of 0.01 μM to 50.0 μM and 50.0 μM to 800.0 μM, respectively. The detection limit was 2.0 nM (S/N=3). Moreover, the proposed method is free of interference from tyrosine and other coexisting species. The resulting sensor displays excellent repeatability and long-term stability; finally it was successfully applied to detect tryptophan in real samples with good recoveries, ranging from 99.0% to 103.0%.

Li J ，Kuang D ，Feng Y ，Zhang F ，Xu Z ，Liu M ，Wang D ... -  《-》

Core-shell structured Ag@C for direct electrochemistry and hydrogen peroxide biosensor applications.

Ag@C core-shell nano-composites have been prepared by a simple one-step hydrothermal method and are further explored for protein immobilization and bio-sensing. The electrochemical behavior of immobilized horseradish peroxidase (HRP) on Ag@C modified indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrode and its application as H₂O₂ sensor are investigated. Electrochemical and UV-vis spectroscopic measurements demonstrated that Ag@C nano-composites provide excellent matrixes for the adsorption of HRP and the entrapped HRP retains its bioactivities. It is found that on the HRP-Ag@C/ITO electrode, HRP exhibited a fast electron transfer process and good electrocatalytic reduction toward H₂O₂. Under optimum experimental conditions the biosensor linearly responds to H₂O₂ concentration in the range of 5.0×10⁻⁷-1.4×10⁻⁴ M with a detection limit of 2.0×10⁻⁷ M (S/N=3). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(app)(M)) of the biosensor is calculated to be 3.75×10⁻⁵ M, suggesting high enzymatic activity and affinity toward H₂O₂. In addition, the HRP-Ag@C/ITO bio-electrode shows good reproducibility and long-term stability. Thus, the core-shell structured Ag@C is an attractive material for application in the fabrication of biosensors due to its direct electrochemistry and functionalized surface for efficient immobilization of bio-molecules.

Mao S ，Long Y ，Li W ，Tu Y ，Deng A ... -  《-》

A novel nitrite sensor based on graphene/polypyrrole/chitosan nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode.

Ye D ，Luo L ，Ding Y ，Chen Q ，Liu X ... -  《-》

Graphene-like carbon nitride nanosheet as a novel sensing platform for electrochemical determination of tryptophan.

In this paper, a new and facile strategy has been demonstrated for the electrochemical determination of tryptophan (Trp), based on graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets modified glassy carbon (CNNS/GC) electrode. The g-C3N4 nanosheets were obtained via exfoliating bulk graphitic carbon nitride (bg-C3N4), which was synthesized using a thermal poly-condensation process. The obtained g-C3N4 nanosheets were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results confirmed graphite-like structure with thickness of about 6-8nm. The as-synthesized g-C3N4 nanosheets were closely attached to the surface of GC electrode to construct electrochemical sensor without needing any film-forming agents. The CNNS/GC electrode exhibited good electrocatalytic activity towards Trp, and hereby some parameters, including scan rate and pH effect on Trp determination were investigated. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the oxidation peak currents had good linear relationship with Trp concentrations in the range of 0.1-110μM and a detection limit of 0.024μM (S/N=3) was achieved. In addition, the obtained sensor showed good sensitivity, favorable repeatability, and long-term stability. Finally, the proposed electrochemical sensor has been successfully applied for the determination of Trp concentration in real samples with satisfactory results.

Liu X ，Zhang J ，Di J ，Long Y ，Li W ，Tu Y ... -  《-》