CuO nanoparticles adorned anodic WO3 nanosheets: Facile synthesis and electrochemical sensing of tyrosine biomarker

Abstract

In recent years, the detection of tyrosine has gained substantial attention because of its potential use as a biomarker for various diseases. The metabolomic methods used for this purpose are time-consuming, laborious, and non-eco-friendly. Consequently, electrochemical sensors are considered viable alternatives owing to their simplicity, low cost, high sensitivity, and capacity for onsite detection. In particular, binder-free and non-enzymatic sensors are the most appealing in the field of bio/chemo-sensing because of their reduced cost and straightforward fabrication procedures. WO₃ nanoflowers were synthesized through a facile anodization technique and functionalized with CuO NPs via chemical bath deposition (CBD). Various analytical techniques like XRD, XPS, Raman, and FESEM were used for structural, compositional analysis, and morphology confirmation. CuO@WO₃ hybrid electrodes were then employed for the detection of L-Tyrosine (L-Tyr) at physiological pH 7.4, in phosphate buffer solution. The electrodes efficiently oxidized L-Tyr within a linear ourrange of 5-60 μM showing a high sensitivity of ∼1650 μAmM⁻¹ cm⁻². The excellent performance of the hybrid system can be attributed to the decrease in the charge-transfer resistance of the material, which ultimately favors the oxidation of L-Tyr.