Pure and Applied Chemistry

Abstract: Vertically aligned polyaniline (PANI) structures were prepared by controlling the deposition current density during a stepwise template-free electrochemical deposition process of aniline on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) showed the formation of cauliflower PANI structures, each with a diameter of approximately 2–3 and 10 μm in length. The cauliflower-like PANI electrode was modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (cauliflower PANI/MWCNTs) and used as the working electrode for electrochemical detections where H₂O₂ and glucose were used as the models for the chemical sensor and biosensor, respectively. The sensor provided linearity in the range of 1.0 to 150 μM of H₂O₂ with the limit of detection (LOD) of 50 nM. This is 100-fold better than the LOD of the bare GCE. Moreover, this sensor exhibited remarkable operational stability, i.e., 50 μM H₂O₂ could be analyzed up to 140 times with a 2.7 % relative standard deviation (RSD). A glucose biosensor was prepared using the modified cauliflower PANI/MWCNT electrode. This had a 3.4 times higher sensitivity than an electrode modified with PANI film/MWCNTs. The regular size and high surface-to-volume ratio of the cauliflower PANI electrode will provide good opportunities for further biosensor applications.