CuCo2O4/N-Doped CNTs loaded with molecularly imprinted polymer for electrochemical sensor: Preparation, characterization and detection of metronidazole

CuCo2O4 nanoparticles modified with nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (CuCo2O4/N-CNTs) have high specific surface area and good electrical conductivity. Herein, a novel electrochemical sensor based on CuCo2O4/N-CNTs loaded molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is proposed for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of metronidazole (MNZ). The composite of CuCo2O4/N-CNTs with MIP significantly enhances the electrical signal. The electrochemical polymerization was performed with MNZ as template and aniline as functional monomer by cyclic voltammetry (CV), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used to detect MNZ. Factors that affect sensor response were optimized. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the DPV current response shows two linearity ranges for MNZ in the range of 0.005-0.1 μM and 0.1-100 μM with very low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.48 nM (S/N = 3). This electrochemical sensing system has high sensitivity, selectivity, excellent reproducibility, repeatability and stability. The recovery (95.9%-100.9%) and reasonable relative standard deviation (RSD) (3.2%-4.8%) for determination of real samples indicate the practicality of the sensing system. This sensing system has high potential for rapid determination of MNZ in samples such as metronidazole tablets, human serum and urine.