Unveiling the effect of the crystalline phases of iron oxyhydroxide for highly sensitive and selective detection of dopamine

Electrocatalysis is key to the development of several important energy and biosensing applications. In this regard, the crystalline phase-dependent electrocatalytic activity of materials has been extensively studied for reactions such as hydrogen evolution, oxygen reduction,etc. But such comprehensive studies for evaluating the phase-dependence of electrochemical biosensing have not been undertaken. Herein, three crystalline phases (α-, β-, and γ-) of iron oxyhydroxide (FeOOH) have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and microscopy techniques. Electrochemical studies revealed their high sensitivity and selectivity towards dopamine (DA) detection. Amongst the three electrocatalysts, β-FeOOH shows the highest sensitivity (337.15 μA mM⁻¹cm⁻²) and the lowest detection limit (0.56 μM). The enhanced electrocatalytic activity of β-FeOOH, as compared to that of α- and γ-FeOOH, was attributed to its higher active site percentage and facile electrode kinetics. Furthermore, theoretical studies probed into the DA-FeOOH interactions by evaluating the charge transfer characteristics and hydrogen adsorption energies of the three phases to support the experimental findings.