In-situ electro-polymerization of graphene nanoribbon/polyaniline composite film: Application to sensitive electrochemical detection of dobutamine

The present paper demonstrates the capability of narrow graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) in constructing new sensing platforms. Graphene nanoribbons have been synthesized via a simple solvothermal route through unzipping of carbon nanotubes, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy analysis. These narrow carbon sheets were used to form a composite film by in-situ electro-polymerization with aniline. The produced graphene nanoribbon/polyaniline (GNR/PANI) composite film showed impressive performance in electrochemical determination of dobutamine (DBT). Under optimal conditions, in comparison to bare glassy carbon electrode a significant increase in peak current was observed on the surface of GNR/PANI modified glassy carbon electrode (up to 10 times), which is ascribed to the higher specific surface area induced by GNRs in combination with the electrocatalytic effect of polyaniline layer. We believe that such a composite film has a great potential in different applications including sensors, supercapacitors and etc.