Large surface area carbon material with ordered mesopores for highly selective determination of l-tyrosine in the presence of l-cysteine

In this study, a novel ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) with high surface area (1600 m2/g), large pore volume (1.6 cm3/g) and open pore structure was successfully prepared by using a hard-templated method. This porous carbon material provided an amplified target-receptor interface for the electrochemical application. As a novel electrode material, the catalytic activities of OMC towards simultaneous electro-oxidation of tyrosine (Tyr) and l-cysteine (CysH) were investigated by differential pulse voltammetry. Significantly, well separated oxidation peaks of Tyr and CysH were firstly observed at physiological pH at the OMC electrode. Selective determination of Tyr was carried out in the presence of CysH. More importantly, well distinguishing Tyr from ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid, epinephrine was also demonstrated, suggesting an excellent anti-interference ability of this Tyr sensor in the physiological system.