My research is the development of electrochemical sensors such as glucose, lactate, and potentiometric ion sensors based on Au electrodes.
Au electrodes in the electrochemical application have nano-structures for the large electro-chemical active area. Unfortunately, electrodeposition of sensing materials is not uniform on the surface, resulting in low reproducibility and sensing performance. In an attempt to address this issue, I employed the CV method under 0.25M HCl to clean the Au surface. However, this approach did not yield the desired results.
Therefore, I am seeking your expert advice on how to obtain reliable Au electrodes that can offer consistent and accurate results. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or recommendations you may have to improve the reproducibility of these sensors.
Hi Hong Jun Park
Flame annealing of the gold electrode prior to functionalization could be a good option to look into. Care needs to be taken when using flame annealing though, heating the electrode for too long can cause the electrode to melt, which is especially problematic for single crystals.
Thank you for your good suggestion!
In annealing gold electrodes, I have a question: Is the purpose of annealing to act as a reduction process?
If so, could you please advise me on the appropriate temperature at which to anneal the gold electrode to achieve this reduction process? Unfortunately, our laboratory does not have a furnace capable of reaching temperatures higher than 400 degrees Celsius.
In case it is not possible to anneal the gold electrode under such high temperatures, could you kindly suggest an alternative method for reducing or treating the surface of the gold electrode?
A common method to clean surfaces of inert (or close to it) surfaces is using basic oxidative cleaning using 50 mmol KOH + 25% H2O2
This article describes various methods of cleaning gold surfaces:
Article Gold cleaning methods for electrochemical detection applications
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