A non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor based on polyaniline/borophene nanocomposites for dopamine detection

Non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors are attractive because of their high sensitivity, rapid detection, low-cost and easy fabrication. Herein, a non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor based on Polyaniline/borophene nanocomposites for dopamine detection is presented. Borophene nanosheets were prepared using a clean and low-cost sonication method. The product was characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM and FTIR. Next, the PANI/borophene nanocomposite material was prepared and used to modify the PANI electrode for use in the detection of dopamine with cyclic voltammetry. The nanocomposite material presented the large peak currents indicating the nanocomposite reveals better electrochemical activity with the presence of borophene for dopamine detection in the concentration range of 0.15625-5 mu M. At a scan rate of 50 mV/s, the PANI-based sensor exhibited a sensitivity of 153.67 mu A mu M-1 cm(-2) with detection limit of 0.064 mu M, while the PANI/borophene nanocomposite-based sensor exhibited a sensitivity of 385.05 mu A mu M-1 cm(-2) with 0.017 mu M detection limit. Due to the excellent electrochemical performance obtained in this work, PANI/borophene nanocomposites could be a promising biosensor material for dopamine electrochemical analysis for biomedical applications.