Electrochemical Sensing with Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

Boron-doped diamond electrodes constitute a class of high-performance sensing materials distinguished by exceptional chemical inertness, wide electrochemical potential windows and minimal background currents. Incorporation of boron atoms into the diamond lattice transforms the material into a p-type semiconductor, enabling rapid electron-transfer kinetics and stable operation at extreme anodic and cathodic potentials. These features mitigate fouling and permit the direct analysis of redox-active biomolecules, pharmaceuticals and environmental contaminants. Advances in chemical vapour deposition, inkjet printing and screen-printing techniques have facilitated the fabrication of microstructured and disposable sensor platforms. Surface pretreatments and functionalisation protocols further tailor the selectivity towards specific analytes, while the robustness of boron-doped diamond under harsh chemical or biological conditions underpins its suitability for in vivo monitoring, point-of-care diagnostics and continuous environmental surveillance.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have employed microfabricated boron-doped diamond sensors to monitor intracellular and tissue-level concentrations of glutathione in tumour models. By distinguishing reduced and oxidised species through chronoamperometric techniques, these sensors have demonstrated the capacity to assess tumour redox status and to track biochemical changes following therapeutic interventions in vivo. Separately, surface-modified diamond microelectrodes have been shown to resolve structurally similar neuropeptides, oxytocin and vasopressin, by exploiting tailored oxidation potentials on anodically and cathodically pretreated surfaces. Flow injection analysis combined with voltammetric detection has yielded detection limits in the nanomolar range, highlighting the potential for real-time monitoring of neurochemical signalling in physiological fluids.

Electrochemical Sensing with Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical sensing with boron-doped diamond electrodes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Boron-doped diamond electrode: A diamond film infused with boron atoms to impart semiconducting conductivity and broaden the usable electrochemical potential range.

Potential window: The range of electrode potentials over which the sensor material remains electrochemically stable without significant solvent breakdown or surface fouling.

Cyclic voltammetry: An electroanalytical method in which the electrode potential is linearly swept and the resulting current is recorded to characterise redox processes.

Differential pulse voltammetry: A sensitive technique applying successive potential pulses superimposed on a linear sweep, used to enhance the detection of low-concentration analytes.

Chronoamperometry: A time-resolved measurement in which a constant potential is applied and the current decay is monitored to quantify electroactive species.

References

1. In vivo assessment of cancerous tumors using boron doped diamond microelectrode. Scientific Reports (2012).
2. Continuous and selective measurement of oxytocin and vasopressin using boron-doped diamond electrodes. Scientific Reports (2016).
3. Inkjet Printing-Manufactured Boron-Doped Diamond Chip Electrodes for Electrochemical Sensing Purposes. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2023).
4. Novel Screen-Printed Sensor with Chemically Deposited Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode: Preparation, Characterization, and Application. Biosensors (2022).
5. Modification-free boron-doped diamond as a sensing material for direct and reliable detection of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine. Electrochimica Acta (2023).