Molecularly imprinted electrodeposition o-aminothiophenol sensor for selective and sensitive determination of amantadine in animal-derived foods

A novel molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor was successfully fabricated for detection of amantadine (AM) residue in animal-derived foods. This molecularly imprinted film was prepared by electrodepositing o-aminothiophenol (o-AT) on a gold electrode surface by cyclic voltammetry (CV). A series of parameters, including template/monomer ratio, CV scanning cycle number, and immersion time, were optimized in detail for controlling the performance of this imprinted sensor. The fabricated sensor exhibited remarkable characteristics of high selectivity, sensitivity, and reproducibility, and long-term stability for AM detection. The imprinting factor for AM achieved to 2.33 and the selectivity factor for three structural analogues achieved to 6.20, 5.29 and 3.95. Under optimal experimental conditions, good linearity was observed between the current response and AM concentration, ranging from 4.0 × 10−7 mmol L−1 to 8.0 × 10−6 mmol L−1, with a detection limit of 3.06 × 10−9 mmol L−1 (S/N = 3). Satisfactory results for the measurement of real samples were also obtained using the proposed sensor, and were consistent with those derived from typical high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a high correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.99). These results demonstrate that the proposed sensor could serve as a valuable tool for accurate and reliable detection of AM residue in animal-derived foods.