Département de chimie moléculaire

This paper describes the detn. of dopamine and paracetamol using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The selective, stable and reproducible simultaneous measurement of the two compds. is achieved using thin pyrolytic carbon (PyC) films as working electrodes. These are created via a reliable, non-catalytic chem. vapor deposition (CVD) process, and the electron transfer characteristics of the films were optimized using a simple oxygen plasma treatment. This new class of carbon electrode can detect dopamine in the range 18 to 270 $μ$M, with a 2.3 $μ$M limit of detection (LoD), while simultaneously sensing paracetamol in the range 15 to 225 $μ$M (LoD 1.4 $μ$M). A 225 mV sepn. between the two competing signals is realized. The accuracy of the sensor is demonstrated using human serum and com. available pharmaceutical products. The performance of PyC is shown to be competitive with the leading carbon electrodes available today, particularly edge-plane pyrolytic graphite (EPPG). This work will serve as an important benchmark in the development of inexpensive, disposable, high-performance nano-structured electrodes for sensors, fuel cells, and energy conversion. [on SciFinder(R)]