A highly sensitive electrochemical sensor by growing Ag nanoparticles on the surface of PPy@PEDOT:PSS film for detecting sodium hydroxymethanesulfinate molecules

A high-sensitivity electrochemical sensor was fabricated via in situ growth of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of a polypyrrole@poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonic acid (PPy@PEDOT:PSS) film for detecting sodium hydroxymethanesulfinate (SHF) molecules in milk and rice flour samples. The sensor fabrication process involved randomly decorating Ag seed points on the porous PPy@PEDOT:PSS film via a chemical reduction process using a AgNO 3 solution. Next, AgNPs were anchored on the PPy@PEDOT:PSS film surface using an electrochemical deposition method to prepare a sensor electrode. Under optimal conditions, the sensor exhibits a good linear relation within a range of 1–130 ng/mL for real milk and rice flour samples and its limit-of-detection values were up to 0.58 and 0.29 ng/mL, respectively. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy was used to identify the byproducts of the chemical reaction, such as formaldehyde. This AgNP/PPy@PEDOT:PSS film–based electrochemical sensor offers a simple and rapid method for detecting SHF molecules in food products.