Novel molecularly imprinted photoelectrochemical sensor for rutin based on Bi2S3/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction

A molecularly imprinted polymer/Bi 2 S 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 /ITO sensor was fabricated and used for the photoelectrochemical detection of rutin. The Bi 2 S 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 composite was synthesized by solvothermal method and it displayed good photoelectrochemical property because of the matched energy levels of Bi 2 S 3 and ZnIn 2 S 4 . In addition, ZnIn 2 S 4 could improve the stability of the composite and avoid photocorrosion. The photocurrent signal of the Bi 2 S 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 composite was much larger than that of Bi 2 S 3 and ZnIn 2 S 4 under visible-light irradiation. Moreover, rutin imprinted chitosan was prepared by mixing rutin and chitosan solutions, followed by simple cross-linking reaction with glutaraldehyde at room temperature. The molecularly imprinted material was combined with Bi 2 S 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 /ITO to construct photoelectrochemical sensor, and the resulting sensor showed a low detection limit (i.e. 0.003 μM) and a wide detection range (i.e. 0.01–100.0 μM) for rutin. It also displayed high stability and selectivity. The sensor could be used for the detection of rutin in real samples.