Highly Sensitive Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide in Cancer Tissue Based on 3D Reduced Graphene Oxide–MXene–Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Electrode

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a signaling molecule that has the capacity to control a variety of biological processes in organisms. Cancer cells release more H2O2 during abnormal tumor growth. There has been a considerable amount of interest in utilizing H2O2 as a biomarker for the diagnosis of cancer tissue. In this study, an electrochemical sensor for H2O2 was constructed based on 3D reduced graphene oxide (rGO), MXene (Ti3C2), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composite. Three-dimensional (3D) rGO–Ti3C2–MWCNTs sensor showed good linearity for H2O2 in the ranges of 1–60 μM and 60 μM–9.77 mM at a working potential of −0.25 V, with sensitivities of 235.2 µA mM−1 cm−2 and 103.8 µA mM−1 cm−2, respectively, and a detection limit of 0.3 µM (S/N = 3). The sensor exhibited long-term stability, good repeatability, and outstanding immunity to interference. In addition, the modified electrode was employed to detect real-time H2O2 release from cancer cells and cancer tissue ex vivo.