Fabrication, characterisation and modification of a carbon film microelectrode to selectively monitor dopamine in vivo

In this thesis a procedure is presented for the fabrication of a microelectrode to monitor the neurotransmitter dopamine in vivo. The microelectrodes are fabricated by in situ pyrolysis of acetylene under a nitrogen blanket onto a quartz capillary. The carbon film was then anodically oxidised in the presence of 2,4-dinitroaniline. These microelectrodes are stable, provide the physical strength to penetrate brain tissue, have a low capacitance, are resistant to fouling in vivo and selectively suppress the endogenous ascorbic acid which oxidises at the same potential as dopamine. With such properties the carbon film microelectrode appears ideally suited for fast scanning cyclic voltammetric studies of cationic neurotransmitters such as dopamine in vivo.