Amperometric detection of morphine based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) immobilized molecularly imprinted polymer particles prepared by precipitation polymerization

Molecular imprinting is a novel technique used for chiral separation, artificial antibodies, sensors, and assays. Typically, molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) are monoliths with irregular shapes. However, microspherical shapes with more uniform size can be obtained by the method of precipitation polymerization, which offers a higher active surface area by manipulating its compositions. In this study, MIP particles for the target molecule, morphine, were synthesized using a precipitation polymerization method that is more facile than the previous one that produced a thermally polymerized bulk. The conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), was utilized to immobilize the MIP particles onto the indium tin oxide (ITO) glass as a MIP/PEDOT-modified electrode. The sensitivity for the MIP/PEDOT-modified electrode with MIP particles was 41.63 μA/cm2 mM, which is more sensitive than that with non-MIP particles or that of a single PEDOT film with no incorporated particles in detecting morphine ranging from 0.1 to 2 mM. The detection limit was 0.3 mM (S/N = 3). In addition, we presented that the modified electrode can discriminate codeine that plays an interfering species.