Researchers develop graphene oxide hybrid electrodes for real-time dopamine monitoring

Built around a hierarchical nanostructure of vertically aligned gold nanopillars adorned with smaller gold nanoparticles and encased in a thin graphene oxide layer, SIDNEY forms a high-conductivity, high-selectivity interface that supports long-term cell culture and differentiation. The graphene oxide coating plays a crucial role – its aromatic carbon rings engage in π–π stacking while negatively charged carboxyl groups attract dopamine’s positively charged amine moiety, ensuring selective capture and efficient electron transfer.

Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Jeonbuk University have developed a graphene oxide–wrapped hybrid electrode platform that allows real-time, label-free monitoring of dopamine activity from living neuronal cells and brain organoids. The innovation, named SIDNEY (Smart Interfacial Dopamine-sensing platform for NEurons and organoid physiologY), addresses a long-standing challenge in neuroscience: how to measure functional maturation of stem-cell-derived dopaminergic neurons without destroying the sample.Built around a hierarchical nanostructure of vertically aligned gold nanopillars adorned with smaller gold nanoparticles and encased in a thin graphene oxide layer, SIDNEY forms a high-conductivity, high-selectivity interface that supports long-term cell culture and differentiation. The graphene oxide coating plays a crucial role – its aromatic carbon rings engage in π–π stacking while negatively charged carboxyl groups attract dopamine’s positively charged amine moiety, ensuring selective capture and efficient electron transfer.

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