A novel voltammetric sensor for ascorbic acid based on molecularly imprinted poly(o-phenylenediamine-co-o-aminophenol)

•A molecularly imprinted copolymer, PoPDoAP, was prepared as a new AA sensor.•The copolymer sensor exhibited a high sensitivity and selectivity toward AA.•The performance of the AA sensor was improved due to the broadened usable pH range.

A molecularly imprinted copolymer, poly(o-phenylenediamine-co-o-aminophenol) (PoPDoAP), was prepared as a new ascorbic acid (AA) sensor. The copolymer was synthesized by incorporation of AA as template molecules during the electrochemical copolymerization of o-phenylenediamine and o-aminophenol, and complementary sites were formed after the copolymer was electrochemically reduced in ammonium aqueous solution. The molecularly imprinted copolymer sensor exhibited a high sensitivity and selectivity toward AA. Differential pulse voltammograms (DPVs) showed a linear concentration range of AA from 0.1 to 10 mM, and the detection limit was calculated to be 36.4 μM. Compared to conventional polyaniline-based AA sensors, the analytical performance of the imprinted copolymer sensor was improved due to the broadened usable pH range of PoPDoAP (from pH 1.0 to pH 8.0). The sensor also exhibited a good reproducibility and stability. And it has been successfully applied in the determination of AA in real samples, including vitamin C tablet and orange juices, with satisfactory results.

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