Carbon nanotubes decorated with bimetallic PtCo nanoparticles for sensitive detection of uric acid

Common methods based on enzymatic approaches for uric acid (UA) have potential issues such as limited detection range, low linearity, and susceptibility to interference. Our study focuses on enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of detecting UA by decorating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with bimetallic platinum-cobalt nanoparticles (PtCo/CNTs) using an adsorbing-thermal reducing method for electrochemical analysis. Physical characterizations are employed to confirm its structural and element compositions. Then, an electrochemical biosensor based on screen printed electrode (SPE) modified with PtCo/CNTs was constructed for UA determination. PtCo/CNTs modified SPE (PtCo/CNTs@SPE) demonstrates significant electrochemical activity and selectivity toward UA detection due to the synergistic effect between PtCo nanoparticles and CNTs, and the excellent electrical conductivity. Under optimized conditions, the current response of UA at the PtCo/CNTs@SPE presented linear dependence on the concentration, ranging from 0.1 µM to 3000.0 µM with a low limit of detection of 0.05 µM. In addition, the selectivity, stability, and practical applications of the as-prepared sensor are also explored.