A highly selective electrochemical sensor for 4-chlorophenol determination based on molecularly imprinted polymer and PDDA-functionalized graphene

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was synthesized and combined with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)-functionalized graphene (PDDA-G) to develop an electrochemical sensor for selective determination of 4-CP. The chemical structures of the imprinted films were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The morphology and interfacial behavior of MIP and PDDA-G modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) were investigated by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) techniques, respectively. The obtained MIP/PDDA-G/GCE showed high sensing performance towards 4-CP. Under optimized conditions, the sensor showed a linear response to the concentration of 4-CP in a wide range from 0.8 to 100 mu mol L-1 with a detection limit (3S/N) of 0.3 mu mol L-1. Moreover, the imprinted sensor exhibited excellent specific recognition ability to 4-CP which could avoid the interference of other structurally similar phenolic compounds. The developed sensor was successfully applied to the detection of 4-CP in real-life water samples. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.