# An Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Sensor Pd/MWCNTs-N-S for Detection of Dopamine

**Authors:** Jingjing Du, Jinpu Xie, Yukun Tang, Zhaopu Li, Yinchen Liu, Kun Qian, Tengfei Duan, Xinrui Wu, Zengmin Tang, Hengde Zhang, Jialing Zhu, Pingping Yang, Lijian Xu

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/molecules31050758 · 2026-02-24

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a highly sensitive sensor for detecting dopamine, a key neurotransmitter linked to various diseases.

## Contribution

The study presents a novel electrochemical sensor using Pd nanoparticles on N,S-doped carbon nanotubes with enhanced sensitivity and selectivity.

## Key findings

- The sensor has a linear detection range of 0.0001 to 2.0 mM for dopamine.
- The limit of detection is as low as 4.37 nM.
- The sensor shows good reproducibility, stability, and anti-interference ability.

## Abstract

Dopamine (DA) is an important catecholamine neurotransmitter in human metabolism that is associated with various critical diseases. Accurate detection of DA is of great significance for the diagnosis of these diseases. Here, we constructed a sensitive electrochemical sensor, S, N co-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-N-S) loaded with Pd nanoparticles (Pd/MWCNTs-N-S). The linear range of the Pd/MWCNTs-N-S sensor is from 0.0001 to 2.0 mM, and the limit of detection (LOD) is 4.37 nM (S/N = 3) for DA detection. The improved detection performance of this sensor is attributed to the optimization of MWCNTs carrier structure and surface properties by N, S co-doping, as well as the significant improvement of electrochemical surface area (ECSA) for the commendable dispersion of Pd nanoparticles (3.79 nm). What is more, the Pd/MWCNTs-N-S sensor also exhibits good reproducibility, stability, and anti-interference ability. Overall, this study presents a straightforward strategy for the potential applications of Pd-based double co-doped MWCNTs sensors.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** Dopamine (PubChem CID 681)

## Full-text entities

- **Chemicals:** MWCNTs (-), S (MESH:D013455), DA (MESH:D004298), N (MESH:D009584), Pd (MESH:D010165)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

7 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12985972/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12985972