Diamond and Hydrogenated Carbon Microelectrodes

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究将制造，评估和开发金刚石和氢化碳纤维微电极，用于测量和检测电活性神经递质，相关代谢物和其他生物分析物。这些新的、低氧化物和化学稳定的微电极有可能显著影响体外和体内神经电化学测量，因为它们解决了常见sp2碳纤维微电极经常遇到的几个问题/并发症。这些问题/并发症的存在是因为存在电活性和可电离的表面碳-氧官能团。硼掺杂的微晶和氮结合的纳米晶金刚石薄膜共形沉积在20-100微米直径的W和Mo纤维，和氢等离子体处理的碳纤维（沥青和PAN基，10-40微米直径）将微电极的研究。与常用的sp2碳电极相比，这些电极材料提供了优点，包括较低的伏安和安培背景电流;没有与电活性表面碳-氧官能团相关的背景伏安特征;由于不存在可电离的碳-氧官能团，对带电溶液分析物的响应灵敏度没有变化;由于非极性、氢封端的表面而抗结垢;低检测限;该研究的目标是（i）制备和全面表征微电极，（ii）证明其用于测量神经递质、代谢物和生物分析物的功效，（iii）验证低氧化物表面解决了问题/当使用氧官能化电极时在快速扫描伏安法测量中存在的复杂性，（iv）详细了解氢封端表面处的电极反应动力学和机制，以及（v）将电极应用于FIA-EC中，LC-EC和CE-EC测定，目的是显著提高分析检测优值。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research will fabricate, evaluate and develop diamond and hydrogenated carbon fiber microelectrodes for use in the measurement and detection of electroactive neurotransmitters, related metabolites and other bioanalytes. These new, low oxide and chemically stable microelectrodes have the potential to significantly impact in vitro and in vivo neuroelectrochemical measurements because they solve several problems/complications often encountered with common sp2 carbon fiber microelectrodes. These problems/complications exist because of the presence of electroactive and ionizable surface carbon-oxygen functionalities. Boron-doped microcrystalline and nitrogen-incorporated nanocrystalline diamond films conformally deposited on 20-100 micron diameter W and Mo fibers, and hydrogen plasma treated carbon fibers (pitch and pan-based, 10-40 micron diameter) will be the microelectrodes investigated. These electrode materials offer advantages compared to commonly used sp2 carbon electrodes including a lower voltammetric and amperometric background current; no background voltammetnc features associated with electroactive surface carbon-oxygen functionalities; no variations in the response sensitivity for charged solution analytes due to the absence of ionizable carbon-oxygen functionalities; resistance to fouling due to the nonpolar, hydrogen-terminated surface; low limits of detection; and improved response precision and stability.The goals of the research are (i) to prepare and comprehensively characterize the microelectrodes, (ii) to demonstrate their efficacy for the measurement of neurotransmitters, metabolites and bioanalytes, (iii) to verify that the low oxide surfaces solve the problems/complications that exist in fast scan voltammetric measurements when oxygen functionalized electrodes are used, (iv) to develop a detailed understanding of the electrode reaction kinetics and mechanisms at the hydrogen-terminated surfaces and (v) to apply the electrodes in FIA-EC, LC-EC and CE-EC assays with the objective of significantly improving the analytical detection figures of merit.