A catechol-terminated self-assembled monolayer at the surface of a gold electrode and its application for the electrocatalytic determination of dopamine.

An electroactive self-assembled monolayer was fabricated by covalent attachment of protocatechuic acid at a gold surface and its electrochemical behavior was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The modification involves a three-step method: (i) preparation of a cysteamine self-assembled monolayer, (ii) activation of the carboxylic groups of protocatechuic acid in solution and (iii) modification of cysteamine self-assembled monolayers by activated protocatechuic acid to functionalize the self-assembled monolayer by catechol-terminated groups. This resulting thin film modified electrode was tested successfully for the electrocatalytic determination of dopamine in aqueous solution.