A new molecular imprinted PEDOT glassy carbon electrode for carbamazepine detection

Abstract

An electrochemical sensor for the detection of carbamazepine was fabricated by the electropolymerization of PEDOT on glassy carbon electrodes. Molecular imprinted polymer sites were synthesized by cyclic voltammetry on the electrodes' surfaces providing high selectivity and sensitivity towards carbamazepine molecules. Scanning electron microscopy validated the formation of the polymer. Extraction of carbamazepine from the polymer was performed by immersion in acetonitrile and validated by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy along with cyclic voltammetry experiments comparing pre- and post-template extraction data. Further cyclic voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry tests aided in characterizing the electrodes’ response to carbamazepine concentration in PBS solution with [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− as a redox pair/mediator. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be 0.98 x 10−3 M and 2.97 x 10−3 M respectively. The biosensor was highly sensitive to carbamazepine molecules in comparison to non-imprinted electrodes, simple to construct and easy to operate.