A comparative study of carbon fiber-based microelectrodes for the measurement of nitric oxide in brain tissue

The measurement of Nitric oxide (NO) in real-time has been a major concern due to the involvement of this ubiquitous free radical modulator in several physiological and pathological pathways in tissues. Here we performed a study aiming at evaluating different types of carbon fibers, namely Textron, Amoco, Courtaulds and carbon nanotubes (University of Kentucky) covered with Nafion®/o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) for NO measurement in terms of sensitivity, LOD, response time and selectivity against major potential interferents in the brain (ascorbate, nitrite and dopamine). The results indicate that, as compared with the other carbon fibers and nanotubes, Textron carbon fiber microelectrodes coated with two layers of Nafion® and o-PD exhibited better characteristics for NO measurement as they are highly selective against ascorbate (>30,000:1), nitrite (>2000:1) and dopamine (>80:1). These coated Textron microelectrodes showed an average sensitivity of 341 ± 120 pA/μM and a detection limit of 16 ± 11 nM. The better performance of the Textron fibers is likely related to a stronger adhesion or more uniform coating of the Nafion® and o-PD polymers to the fiber surface. In addition, the background current of the Textron carbon fibers is low, contributing to the excellent signal-to-noise for detection of NO.