Electrochemical behavior of dopamine at a quercetin-SAM-modified gold electrode and analytical application

A stable quercetin–thioglycolic acid-modified gold electrode (Qu–TCA/Au) was prepared as a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and its electrochemical behavior was investigated by electrochemical methods. In 0.05-M phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0) quercetin exhibits quasi-reversible signals at the Qu–TCA/Au electrode. The stability of the quercetin-modified gold electrode is very good. The quercetin self-assembled monolayer is an effective mediator for the oxidation of dopamine, which was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. Ascorbic acid does not interfere with determination of dopamine at an electrode modified with a mixture of quercetin–thioglycolic acid and quercetin–11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. This modification allows dopamine to be determined in the presence of ascorbic acid in the range from 3×10−5 to 3×10−4 M. The detection limit is 1×10−6 M. Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was employed to study the electrochemical performances of the modified gold electrode indicating different feedback modes at differently modified surfaces.