A highly sensitive sensor based on ordered mesoporous ZnFe 2 O 4 for electrochemical detection of dopamine.

Accurate and sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) is fundamental to monitor and diagnose certain neurological diseases. Herein, highly ordered mesoporous ZnFeO (OM-ZnFeO) is prepared via a facile nanocasting method and shows the highly sensitive in the electrochemical detection of DA. The optimized OM-ZnFeO-40 shows the most excellent activity for DA oxidation in a wide linear range from 2 to 600 nM with a quick response time of 5 s, high sensitivity of 0.094 nA nM and a lower detection limit of 0.4 nM (S/N = 3). The electrode modified with OM-ZnFeO is further successfully used to monitor the increase of DA concentration induced by K-stimulation of living PC12 cells in a neurological environment. This work offers a simple and powerful strategy for designing electrodes for detecting DA in biological systems.