A molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor based on rGO@rGNR modification for zearalenone determination

Abstract

The research on electrochemical sensors has made great progress in recent years, but they still face challenges in detecting trace harmful substances in complex matrices. In this comprehensive investigation, quasi-one-dimensional reduced graphene nanoribbons (rGNR) and two-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were jointly functionalized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, yielding a sophisticated three-dimensional rGO@rGNR hybrid material. The intrinsic synergistic effect of the two carbon materials on the structure of rGO@rGNR improved the comparative specific surface area and the total conductivity. Subsequently, by leveraging the specificity of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP), an electrochemical sensor has been developed to detect zearalenone (ZEA). After fine-tuning the experimental parameters, the sensor exhibited an impressive linear range of 0.5–500 ng·mL^–1, a low detection limit of 0.19 ng·mL^–1, and outstanding selectivity. Moreover, the recovery rate of ZEA in corn meal samples is good. Compared to previously reported sensors for ZEA detection, this sensor boasts simplicity in operation, economy in cost, exceptional sensitivity, and superior selectivity.