Carbon nanotubes grown directly on printed electrode of electrochemical sensor

J. Prasek (a), J. Hubalek (a), M. Adamek (a), O. Jasek (b)

(a) Department of Microelectronics, Brno University of Technology, Brno 60200, Czech Republic
(b) Department of Physical Electronics, Masaryk University, Brno 60200, Czech Republic

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the area of electrochemical sensors. In this work several screen-printed thick-film electrodes are prepared. These electrodes are commonly used as the working electrodes of electrochemical sensors. The surface of the electrode has been modified with nanopatterned nanostructures. The nanostructures have been formed as vertically aligned carbon nanotubes that were grown directly on the screen-printed working electrode using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition method. The aim was to improve electrochemical properties of the electrode by creating homogeneous and high density carbon nanotubes directly on the thick-film layer. The created structures have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties have been investigated by electrochemical detection of cadmium ions in aqueous solutions. The concentration of cadmium ions in units of μmol/L can be determined with the modified electrode.