Facile fabrication of regular Au microband electrode arrays for voltammetric detection down to submicromolar level by hydrogel etching

In this communication, we describe a facile technique to reproducibly fabricate regular Au microband electrode arrays with one kind of soft lithography, i.e. hydrogel etching. Au microband arrays were formed by closely contacting the micropatterned hydrogel stamp soaked with a solution of water-based etching solution with Au film sputtered on a glassy chip. Scanning electron microscopy results demonstrate that the formed Au microband arrays are uniform and had good resolution. Electrochemical results show that the Au microband arrays exhibit fast mass transport and low charging current, suggesting that the Au microband arrays fabricated with soft lithography behave like a microelectrode array (MEA). These electrochemical properties of the Au band MEA essentially made it very attractive for sensitive electroanalysis, which was illustrated by voltammetric determination of ferricyanide and dopamine down to submicromolar level.

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► Regular Au microband arrays were fabricated by hydrogel etching with micrometer resolution.
► Fabricated Au microband electrode arrays show voltammetric detection down to submicromolar level.
► The developed method is facile, cost-effective and versatile for fabricating metal band microelectrode arrays.