Poly(ionic liquid) functionalized polypyrrole nanotubes supported gold nanoparticles: An efficient electrochemical sensor to detect epinephrine

Poly(ionic liquids) (PILs) have been applied as the linkers between Au nanoparticles (NPs) and polypyrrole nanotubes (PPyNTs) for the synthesis of Au/PILs/PPyNTs hybrids. Due to the presence of PILs, high-density and well-dispersed Au NPs have been deposited on the surface of PILs/PPyNTs by anion-exchange with Au precursor and the in-situ reduction of metal ions. The obtained Au/PILs/PPyNTs hybrids can be used as a good steady electrode material for sensitively and selectively detecting epinephrine (EP). The catalytic oxidation peak currents obtained from differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) increased linearly with increasing EP concentrations in the range of 35–960   μM with a detection limit of 298.9   nM according to the criterion of a signal-to-noise ratio   =   3 (S/N   =   3), respectively, which showed the excellent electrocatalytic activity towards this significant hormone in human life.