Highly sensitive and selective dopamine biosensor using Au nanoparticles-ZnO nanocone arrays/graphene foam electrode

Abstract Based on the Au nanoparticles-ZnO nanocone arrays/graphene foam electrode, a novel dopamine biosensor was successfully developed. Graphene foam was synthesized by chemical vapor deposition, ZnO nanocone arrays were grown on its surface by a hydrothermal method and Au nanoparticles with carboxyl groups were self-assembled onto the ZnO nanocone arrays to obtain Au nanoparticles-ZnO nanocone arrays/graphene foam electrode. The result indicates that the prepared electrode has a high sensitivity (4.36 μA μM−1) and low limit of detection (0.04 μM, S/N = 3) for the detection of dopamine. The prepared electrode also exhibits an excellent selectivity under the interference of uric acid, good repeatability and stability. The prepared sensor has been successfully applied in real samples and has a great potential to be used in the field of medical and health.