Simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, uric acid and neurotransmitters with a carbon ceramic electrode prepared by sol–gel technique

A sol–gel carbon composite electrode (CCE) has been prepared by mixing a sol–gel precursor (e.g. methyltrimethoxysilane) and carbon powder without adding any electron transfer mediator or specific reagents. It was demonstrated that this sensor can be used for simultaneous determination ascorbic acid, neurotransmitters (dopamine and adrenaline) and uric acid. Direct electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid, uric acid and catecholamines at a carbon composite electrode was investigated. The experimental results were compared with other common carbon based electrodes, specifically, boron doped diamond, glassy carbon, graphite and carbon paste electrodes. It was found that the CCE shows a significantly higher of reversibility for dopamine. In addition, in comparison to the other electrodes used, for CCE the oxidation peaks of uric acid, ascorbic acid and catecholamines in cyclic and square wave voltammetry were well resolved at the low positive potential with good sensitivity. The advantages of this sensor were high sensitivity, inherent stability and simplicity and ability for simultaneous determination of uric acid, catecholamines and ascorbic acid without using any chromatography or separation systems. The analytical performance of this sensor has been evaluated for detection of biological molecules in urine and serum as real samples.