A novel solid-state electrochemiluminescence sensor for atropine determination based on Ru(bpy)32+/carbon nanospheres/Nafion composite film

Recent years have witnessed the great development of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) as a platform for the analytical processes in many fields, which includes pharmaceutical analysis, immunoassay, DNA analysis as well as clinical analysis. Herein, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was fabricated for ultrasensitive detection of atropine based on Ru(bpy)32+/carbon nanospheres/Nafion composite film. The carbon nanospheres (CNPs) in composite film were obtained through a hydrothermal method. Then, electrochemical and ECL behaviors of the proposed sensor were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the constructed atropine sensor showed a wide linear range from 0.5 to 250 μM with a detection limit of 0.17 μM (at signal-to-noise ratio of 3). Moreover, the results indicated that the CNPs-based ECL sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity and favorable stability, which might be ascribed to the high surface area and the good electrical conductivity of CNPs. Furthermore, the ECL sensor was applied for the determination of atropine in atropine sulfate injection samples and displayed a desirable result. The proposed ECL sensor could be easily obtained and be promising used for drug assay.