Electrochemical Sensor for Dopamine Detection Using Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Spheres Containing Gold-Silver Alloy Nanodots and Platinum Nanoparticles, and Manufacturing Method Thereof

Selective Electrochemical Dopamine Sensor Based on Hollow Carbon Spheres with Gold-Silver Alloy and Platinum Nanoparticles

This technology is an electrochemical sensor for dopamine detection featuring nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres on an electrode. The inner wall of the carbon sphere is embedded with gold-silver alloy nanodots, while the outer wall is decorated with platinum nanoparticles, creating a dual-metal catalytic structure.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter closely linked to neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, but its trace presence in the body makes rapid and accurate detection difficult. Biological samples contain interfering substances such as ascorbic acid and uric acid, which limit the ability of conventional electrodes to selectively measure dopamine.

This technology creates a hollow structure by depositing gold-silver alloy nanodots onto thiol-functionalized silica nanospheres, followed by polydopamine coating and carbonization. This provides synergistic electrocatalytic activity for dopamine oxidation due to the small size and large active surface area. It selectively detects dopamine even when ascorbic acid and uric acid are present at 100 times higher concentrations, enabling reproducible neurotransmitter quantification in complex biological samples for use in diagnostic biosensors and point-of-care devices.

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Key Features:

• An electrochemical sensor for detecting dopamine via oxidation, comprising an electrode and nitrogen-doped carbon spheres formed thereon
• Nitrogen-doped carbon spheres featuring an inner wall impregnated with gold-silver alloy nanodots and an outer wall containing platinum nanoparticles
• A process involving depositing gold-silver alloy nanodots onto thiol-functionalized silica nanospheres, coating with polydopamine, and carbonizing at 300–500°C
• A process of isolating the hollow carbon structure by etching the carbonized silica nanospheres with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education for the development of electrochemical catalysts using viral metal nanocomposites.

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