A Sensitive Electrochemical Sensor Based on Sonogel-Carbon Material Enriched with Gold Nanoparticles for Melatonin Determination

In this work, the development of an electrochemical sensor for melatonin determination is presented. The sensor was based on Sonogel-Carbon electrode material (SNGCE) and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). The low-cost and environmentally friendly SNGCE material was prepared by the ultrasound-assisted sonogel method. AuNPs were prepared by a chemical route and narrow size distribution was obtained. The electrochemical characterization of the SNGCE/AuNP sensor was carried out by cyclic voltammetry in the presence of a redox probe. The analytical performance of the SNGCE/AuNP sensor in terms of linear response range, repeatability, selectivity, and limit of detection was investigated. The optimized SNGCE/AuNP sensor displayed a low detection limit of 8.4 nM melatonin in synthetic samples assessed by means of the amperometry technique. The potential use of the proposed sensor in real sample analysis and the anti-matrix capability were assessed by a recovery study of melatonin detection in human peripheral blood serum with good accuracy.