Phosphorus-Doped Carbon Nanocages for Simultaneous Detection of Dopamine and Uric Acid

Abstract Phosphorus-doped carbon nanocages are prepared from the mixture of triphenylphosphine and benzene through a chemical vapor deposition method. The as-prepared phosphorus doped sample displays a three dimensional nanosized hollow structure with high specific surface area. Based on these unique properties, phosphorus-doped carbon nanocages have been developed to fabricate an electrochemical sensor. The cyclic voltammetry experimental results indicate that the sensor possesses an excellent catalytic capacity. Compared with carbon nanotubes, the prepared sensor shows a higher sensitivity for dopamine and uric acid. The sensor also shows good selectivity for these analytes. With the acceptable reproducibility and stability, the sensor is applied for real samples with satisfactory results. The simple and efficient sensor in the present work implies that the phosphorus-doped carbon nanocages can be further used for other compounds determination.