Application of commercial poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): Poly(styrene sulfonate) for electrochemical sensing of dopamine

Abstract

In this paper, a simple and stable composite electrode based on the intrinsically conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and Nafion®, an ion-exchange polymer, was successfully fabricated by drop-coating the blended commercially available PEDOT:PSS aqueous dispersion and Nafion® solution on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). PEDOT:PSS was used as the matrix, while Nafion® was employed to improve the immobilization stability of the composite films and adhesion to the electrode surface in comparison with PEDOT:PSS films. Cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to characterize the properties of this composite electrode. The as-proposed composite electrode displayed good water-stability. Meanwhile, the composite electrode was applied to electrochemical sensing of dopamine, and the performance of PEDOT:PSS-Nafion® composite film was evaluated. The obtained results demonstrated that PEDOT:PSS-Nafion® composites are promising candidates for modification of electrode material used in electrochemical sensing and other electrocatalytic applications. Copyright ©2013 SCS.