On the development of electrochemical sensors coated with polycaprolactone

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to test the biopolymer polycaprolactone (PCL) as an electrode modifier for the electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA). PCL was chosen following a search for polymers with the appropriate geometry and functional groups for dopamine detection. The chemical structure and the average molecular weight of the synthesized PCL were determined by 1H NMR, while DSC measurements showed a decrease in the crystallinity of a star-shaped polymer compared to a linear polymer. Atomic force microscopy and wettability tests performed on PCL-coated ITO electrodes demonstrated the influence of polymer architecture and functional groups on hydrophilicity and film morphology. Electrochemical studies revealed that electrodes coated with star polymers ending with carboxyl groups show good activity and selectivity, thus demonstrating the effectiveness and applicability of the developed sensors for the electrochemical detection of DA.

Keywords

• Dopamine detection
• Polycaprolactone
• Star polymers
• Electrode modification