Polycrystalline boron-doped diamond-based electrochemical biosensor for simultaneous detection of dopamine and melatonin

In this study, boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes with varied B contents are prepared to determine the feasibility of the direct usage of BDD as an electrochemical biosensor without any modification. The electrochemical performance of the electrodes was investigated through the characterization of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for potassium ferricyanide/potassium ferrocyanide (K3Fe(CN)6/K4Fe(CN)6) redox couples, as well as through qualitative and quantitative analysis of the two biomolecules dopamine (DA) and melatonin (MLT). The results show that the B content of BDD is the primary parameter for controlling the electrocatalytic current, that is, the response sensitivity. However, the abundant crystal planes and low background current are the key factors in improving the selectivity of the biomarkers to identify multiple analytes. Considering the catalytic current and its ability to distinguish the biomolecules, BDD with a B source carrier gas flow rate of 18 sccm is used as the sensing electrode for the simultaneous detection of DA and MLT. The response peak potential difference reaches 500 mV, and the linear concentration range for the two analytes is 0.4–600 μM, with detection limits of 0.1 μM for DA and 0.003 μM for MLT. These results match those observed for electrochemical sensors modified by various sensitive materials. BDD electrodes show good chemical resistance, good stability, and no pollution and are suitable for long-term usage as biomarker sensors.