Improving the detection of hydrogen peroxide of screen-printed carbon paste electrodes by modifying with nonionic surfactants

Nonionic surfactants, such as Triton X-100 and Tween-20, were shown in this study to improve the electrocatalytic activity of screen-printed carbon paste electrodes (SPCE). The electrochemical response of SPCE to hydrogen peroxide increased 8–10-fold with the modification of nonionic surfactants. In addition, the glucose biosensors fabricated from nonionic surfactant-modified SPCE exhibited 6.4–8.6-fold higher response to glucose than that fabricated from unmodified SPCE. A concentration effect is proposed for nonionic surfactant to bring neutral reactants to the surface of electrode. Moreover, nonionic surfactant-modified SPCE exhibits a capability of repetitive usage and good reproducibility (R.S.D. < 5%) in the measurement of H2O2. Interestingly, the nonionic surfactant-modified SPCE exhibited an opposite effect to ascorbic acid, a common electroactive agent, which causes interference during clinical diagnosis. The differential responses of nonionic surfactant-modified SPCE to H2O2 and ascorbic acid suggest its potential in the development of biosensors for clinical diagnosis.