Simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid using high-performance screen-printed graphene electrode

A disposable and sensitive screen-printed electrode using an ink containing graphene was developed. This electrode combined the advantages of graphene and the disposable characteristic of electrode, which possessed wide potential window, low background current and fast electron transfer kinetics. Compared with the electrodes made from other inks, screen-printed graphene electrode (SPGNE) showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA). Three well-defined sharp and fully resolved anodic peaks were found at the developed electrode. Differential pulse voltammetry was used to simultaneous determination of AA, DA, and UA in their ternary mixture. In the co-existence system of these three species, the linear response ranges for the determination of AA, DA, and UA were 4.0–4500 μM, 0.5–2000 μM, and 0.8–2500 μM, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were found to be 0.95 μM, 0.12 μM, and 0.20 μM for the determination of AA, DA, and UA, respectively. Furthermore, the SPGNE displayed high reproducibility and stability for these species determination. The feasibility of the developed electrode for real sample analysis was investigated. Results showed that the SPGNE could be used as a sensitive and selective sensor for simultaneous determination of AA, DA, and UA in biological samples, which may provide a promising alternative in routine sensing applications.

► A disposable electrode made from graphene-based screen-printing ink was proposed.
► Large potential window, low background current and fast electron transfer kinetics.
► Three well-defined and fully resolved peaks for oxidation of three species.
► High sensitivity, selectivity, stability, reproducibility and easy fabrication.