Carbon paste electrode modified with duplex molecularly imprinted polymer hybrid film for metronidazole detection

A novel electrochemical sensor based on duplex molecularly imprinted polymer (DMIP) hybrid film modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) has been developed for highly sensitive and selective determination of metronidazole (MNZ). A conductive poly(anilinomethyltriethoxysilane) film is firstly electrodeposited on the surface of a CPE, and then a molecularly imprinted polysiloxane (MIPS) membrane is covalently covered on the film via sol-gel process. The as-constructed DMIP hybrid film, combining the advantages of MIPS and conducting MIP, can make feasible the direct and efficient signal transformation between the target analyte and the transducer, as well as enhance the imprinting recognition capability, mass transfer efficiency and the detection sensitivity. Under optimized conditions, the reduction peak currents of MNZ are linear to MNZ concentrations in the range from 4.0×10(-7) to 2.0×10(-4) molL(-1) with a detection limit of 9.1×10(-8)molL(-1). The RSD values vary from 2.9% to 4.7% for intra-day and from 3.4% to 4.2% for inter-day precision. The DMIP-based sensor has been successfully applied for the determination of MNZ in biological and pharmaceutical samples. The accuracy and reliability of the method is further confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography.