Electrochemical sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer embedded graphite electrode for detecting curcumin

In this paper, the development of polyacrylic acid (PAA) based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) embedded graphite electrode (PAA-MIP/G) and its usage as a sensitive and effective electrochemical sensor for the purpose of sensing of curcumin (CUR) is described. The polymerization process was carried out for preparing the polymer materials using CUR and acrylic acid (AA) as the template molecule and monomer, respectively. A three electrode system was used to study the electrochemical responses of CUR. Ammonium acetate was used as a buffer solution with a pH value of 5.5 for this purpose. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), the developed PAA-MIP/G electrode showed two different linear CUR determination ranges from 1 μM–10 μM and 10 μM–180 μM with the lowest detection limit of 0.04 μM. The polymer materials were characterized by Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In order to achieve the highest level of selectivity and sensitivity, various parameters such as buffer, pH and the scan rate were optimized. The effect of various common interfering agents on the CUR peak current was studied for the purpose of selectivity study. The prepared PAA-MIP/G electrode showed excellent repeatability, reproducibility, and high sensitivity towards the CUR molecule. Furthermore, the prepared PAA-MIP/G electrode is successfully applied for the determination of CUR in raw turmeric, turmeric powder, and capsule samples. This method can be also applied effectively for similar other applications.