Direct growth of nanotubes and graphene nanoflowers on electrochemical platinum electrodes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoflowers were grown by a catalytic chemical vapor deposition process on metal surfaces. Electrodeposition was used as a versatile technique to obtain three different iron catalyst coatings on platinum microelectrodes. The influence of growth parameters on carbon deposits was investigated. Characterization was carried out by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. A chemical treatment in sulphuric acid produced an increased voltammetric background current. In Raman spectra, the effect of the chemical treatment is seen as a more pronounced sp3 hybridisation mode of C resulting from surface functionalization of the C nanomaterials. Overall, the hybrid electrodes we produced exhibit a promising performance for oxidase-based array biosensors. Therefore, our study opens the possibility of integrating the hybrid electrodes in biochip applications.