An electrochemical adenine sensor employing enhanced three-dimensional conductivity and molecularly imprinted sites of Au NPs bridged poly(3-thiophene acetic acid)

An electrochemical strategy for adenine detection was described. In order to generate a 3D net-work composite film, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) capped with 3-thiophene acetic acid (3-TAA) were used to couple with molecular imprinting technique (MIT). In the presence of the 3-TAA capping Au NPs (Au NPs-T), the electrode-surface-tethered 3-TAAs were polymerized to form a homogeneous conductive material immobilized into the electrode. Through this sensor fabrication, Au NPs-T associating with the Au electrode resulted in enhanced sensitivity and MIT contributed to the specificity.