In order to investigate the impact of Pt on the sensor's performance, we compared the electrochemical catalytic behavior of the PtNP/SWCNT network film with that of the bare SWCNT film using CV.
Figure 3A shows the voltammetric responses toward 1 mM of H
2O
2 in 10 mM PBS at pH 7.4. No noticeable signal was detected in the absence of H
2O
2 for both bare SWCNT and PtNP/SWCNT network films. However, the addition of 1 mM H
2O
2 resulted in significant redox currents, originating from the catalytic oxidation and reduction of H
2O
2 at the surface of the electrode. Notably, the current response of the PtNP/SWCNT network film was much higher than that of the bare SWCNT. This improvement in electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the higher electrocatalytic performance and good conductivity of the PtNPs deposited on the SWCNT films. These results demonstrate the potential of flexible and transparent PtNP/SWCNT network film for the detection of H
2O
2. It is worth noting that the electrodeposition of PtNPs on the SWCNT surface was further confirmed by the altered electrocatalytic activity of the SWCNT film for H
2O
2 redox processes.
To assess the analytical performance of the PtNP/SWCNT network film, we conducted chronoamperometric measurements in 10 mM PBS. The working potential applied was 0.6 V, where H
2O
2 oxidizes. The oxidation of H
2O
2 is more sensitive and reproducible compared to its reduction since oxygen does not contribute to the background current [
57,
58]. On the other hand, the reduction of H
2O
2 at a negative potential may have difficulty in obtaining a reproducible amperometric signal since the H
2O
2 signal would be obscured by the oxygen reduction [
57].
Figure 3B displays the typical amperometric responses of the PtNP/SWCNT network film alongside the bare SWCNT film upon adding H
2O
2 at a selected working potential of 0.6 V. The PtNP/SWCNT network film electrode exhibits highly sensitive amperometric responses, compared to the bare SWCNT film. The electrode showed a quick current response that could achieve a dynamic equilibrium of current signal under 5 seconds after adding H
2O
2, reflecting a favorable electron transfer between PtNP/SWCNT network film and H
2O
2. H
2O
2 began to trigger a response from the PtNP/SWCNT network film at a concentration of 500 nM, and subsequent additions of H
2O
2 resulted in proportional increases in current.
Figure 3C shows the calibration curve for H
2O
2 measurements with PtNP/SWCNT network film sensor, demonstrating a wide dynamic range (500 nM-1 M) in which there were detectable signals and a highly sensitive linear range with a steep slope of approximately 44 per decade. For the linear range, the regression equation is represented as i (µA) = 156 + 44.2 log [H
2O
2] (M) (correlation coefficient, R
2 = 0.982). The limit of detection (LOD) of the sensor for H
2O
2 were estimated to be 228 nM at a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3, demonstrating superior electrochemical sensing ability compared to the bare SWCNT film (LOD = 14.0 μM). To assess the selectivity of the sensor, we tested its amperometric responses upon the addition of H
2O
2 and several other biochemical species, including cysteine, 4-acetamidophenol, glutamic acid, dopamine, ascorbic acid, and uric acid. As shown in
Figure 3D, only the introduction of H
2O
2 resulted in a noticeable change in the amperometric response, while other biochemical species, even at concentrations ten times higher, produced no discernible effect, indicating excellent selectivity of the sensor. We also evaluated the reproducibility of the fabricated sensors by recording CV curves of 1 mM H
2O
2 at five different PtNP/SWCNT network electrodes prepared under identical conditions. As depicted in
Figure 3E, the anodic peak currents at 0.6 V showed an average relative standard deviation (RSD) of only 0.7%, demonstrating the sensors' reproducibility. Furthermore, we examined the effects of bending stress on the overall sensing performance of the PtNP/SWCNT network film, as flexibility is critical for practical biosensor devices. The sensor showed negligible changes when bent inward at angles of 15°, 30°, 60°, and 90°, with an average RSD of 1.3% in the amperometric response towards 100 μM H
2O
2. The sensor's stability under bending cycles was also evaluated using a home-made bending apparatus. The bending cycle stability of the PtNP/SWCNT network film electrode was evaluated up to 500 bending cycles at 60° in
Figure S3, demonstrating excellent stability with approximately 95% signal retention after 300 cycles and 84% signal retention after 500 cycles of bending.