Electrochemical Hybrid Bio-sensors for Neurotransmitters Analysis

Abstrac t Biosensors are devices that detect and transmit information regarding a physiological change or the presence of various chemical or biological materials in a given environment. A new concept of electrochemical biosensors, directly related to the biological redox processes at the cellular and subcellular level, is proposed for testing microfluidic probes, in order to investigate and treat neurological disorders. The micro-electrode features at nanoscale are based on incorporating via electropolymerization of oxidized conductive conjugated polymers at the surface of carbon structures with predefined architectures at nano-scale. The electrochemical characterization of novel micro-electrodes was performed by using reference redox molecules. The final sensorial features regarded the concept sensitivity and reproducibility at different concentrations of dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine in acid medium (0.1 M HCl). In order to tailor the hybrid bio-sensors for extended medical applications, potential interferences within biological samples of ascorbic acid, uric acid etc. were also taken into account. Finally, a functional model was developed, which is now under testing for medical sector exploitation.