A new diclofenac molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor based upon a polyaniline/reduced graphene oxide nano-composite

A diclofenac (DCF)-imprinted polymer, composed of polyaniline, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and triphenylamine, as cross linker, was synthetized. This composite was identified by using SEM and FT-IR techniques. The prepared DCF-imprinted polymer (MIP) was used for modification of carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) to fabricate a selective DCF electrochemical sensor. Electrochemical behavior of DCF on the investigated sensor and the optimization of the parameters affecting the DCF determination were screened by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The cyclic voltammogram of DCF showed an anodic peak current at about 0.5 V (vs. SCE). The calibration curve for DCF determination was obtained by applying the investigated sensor as working electrode in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). A linear increase in the anodic peak current was observed in the range 5-80 mg L−1 of DCF. The corresponding limit of detection was calculated to be 1.1 mg L−1. The relative standard deviations of the inter- and intra-day analysis of DCF presented by the method were found to be as 2.43% and 2.47%, respectively. The selectivity of the investigated sensor was evaluated by its use for determination of DCF in the binary solutions containing DCF/glucose, DCF/urea and DCF/ascorbic acid. It was shown that the fabricated electrode can be successfully used for analysis of DCF in pharmaceutical and urine samples.