RGO LBL modified biomimetic electrochemical sensor for detection of Sildenafil in herbal sexual healthproducts

In this work, a highly sensitive and selective biomimetic electrochemical sensor for Sildenafil in herbal sexual health products was prepared. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO), a novel highly conductive material was used to modify glassy carbon electrode (GCE) through layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly. The conductive molecularly imprinted films were constructed on the functional electrode surface using Sildenafil as template molecules, p-phenylenediamine (p-PD) as functional monomers. The obtained molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor (MIES) was successfully used to detect Sildenafil in herbal sexual health products. The limit of detection (LOD) was 6.2 nmol L−1. The recoveries for the spiked Sildenafil contents were in the range of 92.34–97.71% with the RSD<2.31%. The selective efficiencies for Sildenafil and other structurally related analogues only slightly varied from 0.93 to1.09.

► MIES was prepared with the combination of the LBL self-assembly, electropolymerization and MIT.
► RGO, the novel highly conductive material was used to modify GCE through LBL self-assembly.
► The obtained MIES was successfully used to detect Sildenafil in herbal sexual health products.