Rapid electrochemical detection of epinephrine in human serum based on polydopamine-wrapped cerium oxide nanocomposite

Here, we report the development of a polydopamine (PDA) and CeO2 nanoparticle (NP) based electrochemical biosensor for the investigation of epinephrine (EP). PDA was decorated on CeO2 NPs through a simple mussel-inspired self-polymerization technique to produce a PDA@CeO2 nanocomposite, which is later dispersed on the surface of a working electrode. The optical, structural, morphological, and vibrational analysis of the nanocomposite is determined via UV–vis, XRD, SEM, and Raman techniques respectively. The electrocatalytic performance of PDA@CeO2/GCE was examined by using various electrochemical methods such as CV, DPV, and EIS. The fabricated PDA@CeO2-modified electrode shows good electrocatalytic activity to detect EP with high sensitivity and specificity. The electrochemical efficacy of PDA@CeO2/GCE is enhanced by its large specific surface area, high electrical conductivity, and enhanced active sites. Owing to excellent characteristics, the fabricated electrode has a lower detection limit of 8.37 μM in a wide linear range between 10 μM and 200 μM for EP detection. The PDA@CeO2/GCE performed exceptionally well in terms of selectivity, and repeatability. The analysis of EP in spiked human serum samples yielded consistent results with high sensitivity in a wide detection range between 20 μM and 100 μM with a detection limit of 14.79 μM. The recovery % of spiked serum samples fall between 97 and 105 % which indicates the practical utility of the proposed biosensor in real settings. Thus, the PDA@CeO2 nanocomposite is highly effective and has the potential to be utilized in a variety of applications due to its unique properties.