Electrochemical response of biomolecules on carbon substrates: Comparison between oxidized HOPG and O-terminated boron-doped CVD diamond

In this work, two types of electroactive proteins, namely azurin and ferrocene-labeled papain, were adsorbed on differently oxidized diamond and investigated by cyclic voltammetry. A comparison was made with oxidized highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). A direct electron transfer to the biomolecules was confirmed for all oxidized carbon electrodes. A strong influence of the oxygen termination process of diamond on the charge transfer through the interface has been observed. This effect has been attributed to different defects and electronic states at the interface, as confirmed by capacitance-voltage measurements in electrolyte, electrical characterisation and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). Wet chemical oxidized diamond was proved to be the most effective electrode material for biomolecule anchoring with an electron transfer rate higher by factor of three than that of HOPG.