Hydrothermal Synthesis of Boron-Doped Graphene for Electrochemical Sensing of Guanine

Abstract

In this study, boron-doped graphene (B-G) nanosheets (Ns) were synthesized using NaBH4 as both reductant and source of boron (B) dopant atoms during hydrothermal treatment of graphene oxide (GO), in the presence of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). The as-prepared material was characterized by several analysis techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and voltammetry. The electrochemical performance of the synthesized PDDA functionalized B-G nanocomposite-modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) toward guanine was investigated. The results show, that the incorporation of B atoms into the structure of G significantly improved its electrocatalytic activity toward guanine oxidation. The PDDA/B-G based electrochemical sensor exhibits linear relationship between guanine concentration in the range from 1 × 10−6 to 7.5 × 10−5 mol L−1, with detection limit of 3.9 × 10−7 mol L−1. This approach of using B-doped graphene provides a feasible approach for fabrication of electrochemical sensor.