Development of molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor with reduced graphene oxide and titanium dioxide enhanced performance for the detection of toltrazuril in chicken muscle and egg

Abstract

A molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor for toltrazuril (TZR) detection based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) immobilized on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) modified platinum (Pt) electrode surface was fabricated for the first time. The synergistic fast electron transfer ability, large electroactive surface area and high catalytic activity from rGO and TiO2 contribute to amplify the electrochemical signal and consequently improve the sensitivity of the sensor. The cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were used to evaluate the performance of the electrochemical sensor. The results showed that the electrochemical sensor possessed high sensitivity, good selectivity and anti-interference ability toward TZR. By using the DPV, the electrochemical sensor displayed a wide linear concentration range from 0.43 to 42.54 μg/L, with a limit of detection of 0.21 μg/L (S/N = 3). Moreover, the recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSD) were 85.0%–97.0% and 3.5%–6.4% at three concentration levels, respectively, implying that the established sensor is promising for the accurate detection of TZR at trace levels in chicken muscle and egg samples.