Antifouling nanoporous diamond membrane for enhanced detection of dopamine in human serum

In vivo tracking or in vitro real sample analysis by electrochemistry is one of the most straight and useful methods in biosensor field. However, surface biofouling of electrodes by non-specific protein adsorption is inevitable and usually leads to a decrease in sensitivity. Here, we developed a Nafion-coated porous boron-doped diamond (NAF/pBDD) electrode with hydrophobic nanostructures to minimize the biofouling effect and selectively detect dopamine (DA). Larger active area was obtained by this procedure compared to a bare diamond electrode. The as-prepared electrode shows excellent antifouling property and enrichment capacity toward selective detection of dopamine (DA). The low background current of the BDD electrode and the enhanced signals enables a lower detection limit, 42 nmol L−1, and a wider linear range, 0.1–110 μmol L−1, for determination of DA in human serum. Additionally, the facile modified electrode demonstrated renewable property and long-term stability due to the fact that the antifouling nanostructures belong to its own.