Single-atom catalysts have attracted
numerous attention due to
the high utilization of metallic atoms, abundant active sites, and
highly catalytic activities. Herein, a single-atom ruthenium biomimetic
enzyme (Ru-Ala-C3N4) is prepared by dispersing
Ru atoms on a carbon nitride support for the simultaneous electrochemical
detection of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA), which are coexisting
important biological molecules involving in many physiological and
pathological aspects. The morphology and elemental states of the single-atom
Ru catalyst are studied by transmission electron microscopy, energy
dispersive X-ray elemental mapping, high-angle annular dark field–scanning
transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy. Results show that Ru atoms atomically disperse throughout
the C3N4 support by Ru–N chemical bonds.
The electrochemical characterizations indicate that the Ru-Ala-C3N4 biosensor can simultaneously detect the oxidation
of DA and UA with a separation of peak potential of 180 mV with high
sensitivity and excellent selectivity. The calibration curves for
DA and UA range from 0.06 to 490 and 0.5 to 2135 μM with detection
limits of 20 and 170 nM, respectively. Moreover, the biosensor was
applied to detect DA and UA in real biological serum samples using
the standard addition method with satisfactory results.