Sulfamethizole-imprinted polymer on screen-printed electrodes: Towards the design of a portable environmental sensor
By Ayankojo, Akinrinade George; Reut, Jekaterina;
Published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical
2020
Abstract
As the demand for portable, selective yet sensitive environmental pollutants monitoring devices increases, electrochemical sensors specifically screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) integrated with molecularly imprinted polymer layers are gaining unprecedented attention. The work reported herein demonstrates a successful adaptation of an antibiotic imprinted polymer from one platform to another of different sensing principles, without compromising its performance. Specifically, sulfamethizole-MIP (SMZ-MIP) previously optimized on a surface acoustic wave (SAW) platform is redesigned on SPE with necessary upgrade to achieve a portable and highly-performing cost-effective electrochemical sensor for detecting sulfamethizole (SMZ) in water. Sensor performance, as analysed by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) electrochemical technique indicates rapid response, good sensitivity as represented by an LOD of 0.9 nM, and LOQ of 3 nM; excellent selectivity, as well as concentration dependent responses both in buffer and tap water samples. This study indicates a significant step towards achieving the desired commercially viable small molecule detection platform that combines important peculiarity of low cost, ease of operation, portability and on-site utilization in environmental water.