Gold nanoclusters doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) for highly sensitive electrochemical sensing of nitrite

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with bovine serum albumin-stabilized Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) was successfully synthesized through electrochemical polymerization in a solution containing EDOT monomer and AuNCs. The obtained PEDOT/AuNCs composite possessed a microstructure with AuNCs evenly distributed within the PEDOT film as dopants. The PEDOT/AuNCs modified electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity toward nitrite oxidation, and it was further developed into an amperometric sensor for nitrite. If operated at 0.80 V (vs. SCE), the linear range of the sensor was from 0.05 to 2600 μM, with a very low limit of detection of 17 nM (S/ N  = 3).