Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensing interface based on in-situ-polymerization of amino-functionalized ionic liquid for specific recognition of bovine serum albumin.

Abstract A molecularly imprinted polymer film was in situ polymerized on a carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode surface under room temperature. This technique provides a promising imprinting approach for protein in an aqueous solution using 3-(3-aminopropyl)-1-vinylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid as functional monomer, N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide as crossing linker, ammonium persulfate and N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine as initiator, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as template. The molecularly imprinted polymerized ionic liquid film shows enhanced accessibility, high specificity and sensitivity towards BSA. Electrochemical sensing performance of the imprinted sensor was thoroughly investigated using K 3 Fe[CN] 6 /K 4 Fe[CN] 6 as electroactive probes. Under optimal conditions, the current difference before and after specific recognition of BSA was found linearly related to its concentration in the range from 1.50×10 −9 to 1.50×10 −6  mol L −1 . The detection limit was calculated to be 3.91×10 −10  mol L −1 ( S / N =3). The practical application of the imprinted sensor was demonstrated by determining BSA in liquid milk samples.