Construction of polythiophene-derivative films as a novel electrochemical sensor for highly sensitive detection of nitrite

Herein, a novel, convenient, and highly selective electrochemical sensor for determination of nitrite based on a polythiophene-derivative film-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was established. In this work, 2,5-di-thiophen-3-yl-thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole (DTT), a novel thiophene derivative, was synthesized and used to form an original and excellent polymer film (PolyDTTF) on GCE through one-step electropolymerization for the first time. The modified electrodes were characterized by electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-visible spectra, Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical technologies, in which the electrochemical sensor based on PolyDTTF was successfully constructed and demonstrated a significant electrocatalytic effect on nitrite. The influence of pH value, electrodeposition scanning times, scanning speed, and potential on the electrochemical behavior of nitrite were investigated in detail. Furthermore, the nitrite sensor exhibits excellent responses proportional to nitrite concentrations (R-2 = 0.9972) over a concentration range of 5.5 x 10(-9) similar to 3.5 x 10(-5) M with a detection limit (LOD) of 2 nM, and has extremely good anti-interference ability for nitrite detection. This proposed sensor can be used to detect nitrite in actual samples, opening the possibility for applications in the food industry and environmental analysis.

Automated summary

A novel electrochemical sensor for nitrite determination was developed using a polythiophene-derivative film-modified glassy carbon electrode, showing high selectivity and sensitivity. The sensor demonstrated excellent detection performance and interference resistance, providing promising applications in the food industry and environmental analysis.