Diamond microelectrodes for in vitro electroanalytical measurements: current status and remaining challenges

Abstract

An emerging research field in electrochemistry today is the preparation, characterization and application of diamond microelectrodes for electroanalytical measurements in biological media. Interest in this new electrode material stems from its outstanding properties: (i) hardness, (ii) low, stable and pH-independent background current, (iii) morphological and microstructural stability over a wide range of potentials, (iv) good electrochemical responsiveness for multiple redox analytes without any conventional pre-treatment and (v) weak molecular adsorption of polar molecules that leads to a high level of resistance to response deactivation and electrode fouling. Diamond electrodes have advanced in recent years from being simply a scientific curiosity into a viable material for electroanalysis. In this article, we highlight the current state of progress by our laboratory and others on the preparation, study of the basic electrochemical properties, and application of this new type of microelectrode for in vitro electroanalytical measurements, and discuss some of the remaining challenges.

Influence of different biological environments on the stability of serotonin detection on carbon-based electrodes

“…Carbon-based electrodes have been the electrode of choice for in vitro and in vivo recordings from biological tissue [19][20][21][22][23][24]. Figure 2 Figure 2D).…”

Rhenium alloys as ductile substrates for diamond thin-film electrodes

“…For example, diamond films grow conformally on high-temperature materials that pre-form a carbide interfacial layer to enhance film adhesion, e.g. , tungsten and molybdenum, whereas coatings of non-carbide forming materials have often required pre-deposition of carbide-forming interlayers or altering of growth conditions, which may unavoidably compromise the diamond film quality [1, 6, 7, 9-20]. Recent interest in applying conductive diamond as an implantable electrode in biomedical devices, for use either in vitro (tissue in a dish)[7, 21, 22] or in vivo (implantation in a live animal),[1, 23] has brought renewed attention to the need for alternatives to traditional high-temperature substrates.…”

Effects of copper interlayer on deposition and flexibility improvement of diamond microelectrode

“…Recent years, the small or thin conductive boron doped diamond microelectrode (BDDME) has attracted much attention due to its superior properties [1,2] such as wide electrochemical potential window, a low, stable and pH-independent background current, stable sp 3 microstructure and chemical inertness in physiological media and excellent biocompatibility. Compared with macro-electrode, the small size BDDME empowers with lower detection limit, increased rate of mass transport and a fast response analysis in low conducting media and a very small sample volume, and limits tissue damage and minimizes surgical challenges.…”