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Low fouling electrochemical sensing in complex biological media by using the ionic liquid-doped conducting polymer PEDOT: application to voltammetric determination of dopamine

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Abstract

An electrochemical sensor that can resist biofouling even when operated in complex biological medium is developed for the determination of dopamine. It is based on the use of the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) that is doped with the water insoluble ionic liquid (IL), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. A glassy carbon electrode modified with PEDOT/IL is shown to enable accurate determination of dopamine, as a model analyte in the presence of high concentrations of proteins, and resist biological fouling even in native serum. It exhibited a low limit of detection of 33 nM for the detection of dopamine, with a wide linear range from 0.2 to 328 μM (at 0.2 V vs. saturated calomel electrode). The PEDOT/IL modified glassy carbon electrode has a porous microstructure, high electrical conductivity and good stability. The sensor can be used to quantify dopamine in human urine samples with satisfying accuracy.

An antifouling electrochemical sensor capable of detecting target in complex biological samples was developed based on the use of a conducting polymer (PEDOT) that was doped with a water insoluble ionic liquid.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21675093, 21422504), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (JQ201406), and the Taishan Scholar Program of Shandong Province of China (ts20110829).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Optic-electric Sensing and Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, MOE, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, People’s Republic of China

    Zhen Song, Ge Sheng, Yige Cui, Mengru Li, Zhiling Song, Caifeng Ding & Xiliang Luo

  2. Shandong Key Laboratory of Biochemical Analysis, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, People’s Republic of China

    Zhen Song, Ge Sheng, Yige Cui, Mengru Li, Zhiling Song, Caifeng Ding & Xiliang Luo

  3. Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science in Universities of Shandong, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, People’s Republic of China

    Zhen Song, Ge Sheng, Yige Cui, Mengru Li, Zhiling Song, Caifeng Ding & Xiliang Luo

  4. College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, People’s Republic of China

    Zhen Song, Ge Sheng, Yige Cui, Mengru Li, Zhiling Song, Caifeng Ding & Xiliang Luo

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  1. Zhen Song
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  2. Ge Sheng
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Song, Z., Sheng, G., Cui, Y. et al. Low fouling electrochemical sensing in complex biological media by using the ionic liquid-doped conducting polymer PEDOT: application to voltammetric determination of dopamine. Microchim Acta 186, 220 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3340-x

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