• 文献标题:   pH Sensing Properties of Flexible, Bias-Free Graphene Microelectrodes in Complex Fluids: From Phosphate Buffer Solution to Human Serum
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   PING JL, BLUM JE, VISHNUBHOTLA R, VRUDHULA A, NAYLOR CH, GAO ZL, SAVEN JG, JOHNSON ATC
  • 作者关键词:  
  • 出版物名称:   SMALL
  • ISSN:   1613-6810 EI 1613-6829
  • 通讯作者地址:   Univ Penn
  • 被引频次:   1
  • DOI:   10.1002/smll.201700564
  • 出版年:   2017

▎ 摘  要

Advances in techniques for monitoring pH in complex fluids can have a significant impact on analytical and biomedical applications. This study develops flexible graphene microelectrodes (GEs) for rapid (<5 s), very-low-power (femtowatt) detection of the pH of complex biofluids by measuring real-time Faradaic charge transfer between the GE and a solution at zero electrical bias. For an idealized sample of phosphate buffer solution (PBS), the Faradaic current is varied monotonically and systematically with the pH, with a resolution of approximate to 0.2 pH unit. The current-pH dependence is well described by a hybrid analytical-computational model, where the electric double layer derives from an intrinsic, pH-independent (positive) charge associated with the graphene-water interface and ionizable (negative) charged groups. For ferritin solution, the relative Faradaic current, defined as the difference between the measured current response and a baseline response due to PBS, shows a strong signal associated with ferritin disassembly and the release of ferric ions at pH approximate to 2.0. For samples of human serum, the Faradaic current shows a reproducible rapid (<20 s) response to pH. By combining the Faradaic current and real-time current variation, the methodology is potentially suitable for use to detect tumor-induced changes in extracellular pH.