Prussian blue mediated amplification combined with signal enhancement of ordered mesoporous carbon for ultrasensitive and specific quantification of metolcarb by a three-dimensional molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor

In this work, we presented a three-dimensional (3D) molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor (MIECS) with novel strategy for ultrasensitive and specific quantification of metolcarb based on prussian blue (PB) mediated amplification combined with signal enhancement of ordered mesoporous carbon. The molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized by electrochemically induced redox polymerization of para aminobenzoic acid (p-ABA) in the presence of template metolcarb. Ordered mesoporous carbon material (CMK-3) was introduced to enhance the electrochemical response by improving the structure of the modified electrodes and facilitating charge transfer processes of PB which was used as an inherent electrochemical active probe. The modification process for the working electrodes of the MIECS was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), and several important parameters controlling the performance of the MIECS were investigated and optimized in detail. The MIECS with 3D structure had the advantages of ease of preparation, high porous surface structure, speedy response, ultrasensitivity, selectivity, reliable stability, good reproducibility and repeatability. Under the optimal conditions, the MIECS offered an excellent current response for metolcarb in the linear response range of 5.0×10−10-1.0×10−4 mol L−1 and the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 9.3×10−11 mol L−1 (S/N=3). The proposed MIECS has been successfully applied for the determination of metolcarb in real samples with satisfactory recoveries. Furthermore, the construction route of this ultrasensitive 3D MIECS may provide a guideline for the determination of non-electroactive analytes in environmental control and food safety.