Platinum nanoparticles-embedded raspberry-liked SiO2 for the simultaneous electrochemical determination of eugenol and methyleugenol.

Based on platinum nanoparticle–embedded raspberry-liked SiO2, a sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor was developed for simultaneous determination of eugenol (EU) and methyleugenol (MEU). Raspberry-liked SiO2 (RL-SiO2) was characterized with open pores on the surface, which can be used as a path for utilizing the inner space fully. So, platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) could be embedded in the inner and outer surface of RL-SiO2. As a carrier, RL-SiO2 not only avoided the agglomeration of the Pt NPs but also improved the catalytic performance. Therefore, the prepared Pt NPs@RL-SiO2/GCE exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for simultaneous determination of EU and MEU; the linearity ranges were 0.50 ~ 60 μmol/L for EU at a working potential of 0.65 V (vs. saturated calomel electrode) and 0.50 ~ 50 μmol/L for MEU at a working potential of 1.10 V; the detection limits were 0.12 μmol/L and 0.16 μmol/L (S/N=3); and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 3.2% and 4.5%, respectively. In addition, Pt NPs@RL-SiO2/GCE was successfully applied to the analysis of fish samples; the obtained recoveries were between 92.0 and 107%. Notably, the results conducted on samples were highly consistent with those obtained from high-performance liquid chromatography. It can be concluded that the study provided a simple method for simultaneous electrochemical determination of EU and MEU in fish samples.