Enantioselective analysis of D- and l- Serine on a layer-by-layer imprinted electrochemical sensor

Abstract

The present work describes a new, simple, and easy method of generating acrylamide functionalised reduced graphene oxide-fullerene layer-by-layer assembled dual imprinted polymers to quantify D- and L-Serine at ultra trace level in aqueous and real samples. Herein, the pencil graphite electrode was initially spin coated with D-Serine imprinted acrylamide functionalized reduced graphene oxide. After 10 min thermal treatment (50 °C), this electrode was again modified with L-Serine imprinted acrylamide functionalized fullerene molecules. This bilayer assembly was finally made thermally stable by 60 °C exposure for 3 h. The proposed sensor showed better electronic properties with an improved synergism. We have compared this modified electrode with other modified pencil graphite electrodes like single layered acrylamide functionalised reduced graphene oxide or fullerene, single layered acrylamide functionalised reduced graphene oxide-fullerene composite and double layered acrylamide functionalised reduced graphene oxide or fullerene molecules, which yielded very inferior sensitivity due to possible agglomeration and decreased synergism. The chosen system demonstrated a very good analytical figures of merit with differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry transduction, showing lower limits of detection (0.24 ng mL−1, S/N = 3) for both isomers. The proposed sensor assures practical applications as disease biomarker, manifesting several diseases at very ultra-trace level.