Towards nanostructured ITO-based electrochemical sensors: Fabrication, characterization and functionalization

Abstract

The need for miniaturized, low-cost and ultrasensitive electrochemical sensors has motivated the search and study of new nanostructured materials. We propose nanostructured indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes as a promising platform due to their good electrical conductivity, transparency to visible wavelengths and high surface-to-volume ratio. The nanostructured electrodes were fabricated by electron beam evaporation, and electrochemical techniques were used to quantify more than a 40% increase in electrochemical surface area compared to thin ITO films. The electrodes were derivatized with organosilanes and coated with a molecule providing redox activity. Indeed, an increase in detectability of more than 400% was observed with respect to thin films, indicating the potential viability of nanostructured ITO-based electrochemical biosensors.