Gold nanoparticles on a thiol-functionalized silica network for ascorbic acid electrochemical detection in presence of dopamine and uric acid

摘要

A simple preparation methodology able to stabilize gold nanoparticles and to obtain an electrode which detects ascorbic acid, uric acid, and dopamine by different techniques is presented. A 3-mercaptopropyl-functionalized silica network was synthesized using the sol–gel method. Gold nanoparticles (nAu) were immobilized on the material at synthesis by adding a sol of these previously prepared particles to the reaction mixture. The electrochemical behavior of the SiO₂/MPTS/Au carbon paste electrode was studied using cyclic voltammetry in the presence of a hexacyanoferrate probe molecule. The presence of nAu in the functionalized silica network changes the electrochemical characteristics of the material, favoring the electron transfer process of this complex ion. The SiO₂/MPTS/Au electrode was proven to be an efficient tool in the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (H₂AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA) using square wave voltammetry techniques. With the nAu on the electrode, an increase in the peak current related to the redox process of the H₂AA, DA, and UA was observed. The separations of the anodic peak potentials between DA/H₂AA and UA/H₂AA were 310 and 442 mV, respectively. The results obtained show that the SiO₂/MPTS/Au electrode can be used in the simultaneous determination of H₂AA, DA, and UA.