Influence of solution pH on the electron transport of the self-assembled nanoarrays of single-walled carbon nanotube-cobalt tetra-aminophthalocyanine on gold electrodes: Electrocatalytic detection of epinephrine

This paper provides first evidence of the impact of solution pH on the heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants of self-assembled films of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and SWCNT integrated to cobalt(II)tetra-aminophthalocyanine (SWCNT-CoTAPc) by sequential self-assembly. Using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we proved that both SAMs exhibit notable differences in their response to different buffered solution pH, with and without the presence of redox probe, [Fe(CN)₆]^4-/[Fe(CN)₆]^3-. Surface pK_a value for the Au-Cys-SWCNT-CoTAPc was estimated as ca. 7.8, compared to that of the Au-Cys-SWCNT of about 5.5. Interestingly, both redox-active SAMs gave similar analytical response for epinephrine, giving well-resolved square wave voltammograms, with linear concentration range up to 130 μM, sensitivity of ca. 9.4 × 10^-3 AM^-1, and limit of detection ca. 6 μM. This analytical result implies that there is no detectable advantage of one of the SAMs over the other in the electrocatalytic detection of this neurotransmitter.