A molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor using copper nanoparticles as built-in probe for eugenol detection

A molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor is facilely designed for the detection of eugenol (EU). Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are first electrodeposited on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and act as the built-in probe. By using EU as the template molecules, o -phenylenediamine (o-PD) monomers are electropolymerized on the surface of the CuNPs/GCE. After the removal of the EU template molecules with the ethanol/water mixture, the molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor is obtained. According to the cathodic peak currents ( I pc ) of copper oxide generated from the oxidation of the CuNPs probe on the differential pulse voltammograms (DPVs), sensitive detection of EU can be achieved. The EU sensor shows a wide linear concentration range from 0.05 to 100 μM with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.022 μM under the optimized conditions. Additionally, the EU sensor exhibits excellent specificity, repeatability, reproducibility and stability. Finally, the developed EU sensor is used for the detection of EU in real samples, and reliable results are obtained.