Solid carbon nanorod whiskers: application to the electrochemical sensing of biologically relevant molecules

Abstract

We introduce solid carbon nanorod whiskers, a derivative of carbon nanotubes which are fabricated via a solid state methodology and are completely free from metallic impurities. We explore the electrochemical properties of these unique carbon nanostructures towards the electrochemical oxidation of NADH, dopamine and uric acid, and compare and contrast to other carbon nanomaterials/composites where appropriate. It is shown that thin layer behaviour dominates when the coverage of the nanomaterials is increased giving the false impression of electro-catalysis. The SCNR whiskers are analytically similar to other reported carbon nanotube structures and yet do not suffer from problems associated with metallic impurities, suggesting their beneficial use in many areas of electrochemistry.