Electrochemical determination of quercetin based on porous aromatic frameworks supported Au nanoparticles

•We have developed Au-PAF-6 from inexpensive starting materials via a simple chemical reduction method.•The fabricated sensor Au-PAF-6 exhibited low detection limit, long linear range with good reproducibility, and excellent anti-interference ability.•The developed sensor was offered to detect QC in apple juice and green tea samples.

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were decorated on porous aromatic framework (Au-PAF-6) using a simple reduction method. The prepared Au-PAF-6 material was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which clearly illustrated that Au NPs were dispersed with an average particle size of 15.1 nm on the PAF-6 surface. The obtained Au-PAF-6 offered a remarkable analytical performance in the electrocatalytic oxidation of quercetin (QC) at reduced potential. The modified Au-PAF-6 electrode exhibited a good differential pulse voltammetric response in the QC concentration of 1 × 10−12 − 6 × 10−10 M with the detection limit of 2 × 10−13 M. The designed sensor platform was also implemented directly to determine the QC in apple juice and green tea samples. Reliable recovery (98.2-99.4%) showed that Au-PAF-6 was highly stable and reproducible, and had good anti-interference properties.

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