ИСТИНА

Modification of electrodes by nanocomposite coatings containing carbon nanomaterials (single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, etc.) is widely applied for construction of highly-sensitive electrochemical sensor setups. Level and quality of integration of the carbon nanomaterial in the nanocomposite coating determines quality, sensitivity, and ultimately market competitiveness of a bioanalytical device. However, such materials are in general hardly dispersible (especially in aqueous media) that brings considerable challenges and limits their application for modification of the electrodes. This work aims at preparation and characterization of the nanocomposite coatings based on the carbon nanotubes and amphiphilic ionic diblock copolymers containing both hydrophobic and hydrophilic (ionic) blocks. A hydrophobic segment of the diblock copolymer adsorbs onto surface of carbon nanomaterial particles while a hydrophilic one provides their dispersing and high colloidal stability in aqueous media. The overall hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance as well as the total charge and charge density of the amphiphilic ionic diblock copolymer can be varied by changing lengths of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks as well as aqueous medium conditions (for example, pH) that allows preparation of carbon-polymer hybrid materials with desired properties. In this contribution, the examples of dispersing of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in aqueous solutions of both cationic (polybutadiene-block-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)) and anionic (poly(n-butyl acrylate)-block-poly(acrylic acid)) amphiphilic diblock copolymers are reported and the prospects of application of the prepared nanocomposite carbon-polymer sensor coatings on planar graphite electrodes for direct quantitative electrochemical analysis of biomolecules (cytochrome c, DNA) are considered. (p. 161)