Exploring the origins of the apparent "electrocatalytic" oxidation of kojic acid at graphene modified electrodes.

We explore the recent reports that the use of graphene modified electrodes gives rise to the electrocatalytic oxidation of kojic acid. It is demonstrated that large quantifiable voltammetric signatures are observed on bare/unmodified graphitic electrodes, which are shown to be analytically useful and superior to those observed at graphene modified alternatives. This work is of importance as it shows that control experiments are critical and must be undertaken before "electrocatalysis" is conferred when investigating graphene in electrochemistry. In terms of the electroanalytical response of graphene modified electrodes, a bare edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode is shown to give rise to an improved linear range and limit of detection, questioning the need to modify electrodes with graphene.