Extremely sensitive electrode for melamine using a kind of molecularly imprinted nano-porous film

We have prepared a kind of molecularly imprinted nano-porous sensing film for the adsorption of melamine. It consists of a graphite electrode impregnated with paraffin and modified with melamine, chitosan, silver nanoparticles and polyquercetin by employing an electrochemical method. The film displays excellent and highly selective sorption of melamine in the 3-dimensional porous nanomaterial, and this was applied to the determination of melamine in dairy products. The electrode responds linearly to melamine in the concentration range of 1 x 10-8 to 9 x 10-7 M, with a detection limit of 1. 3 x 10-9 M (at 3σ) in real samples, and with recoveries in the range of 99 to 102%. The surface structure and composition of the sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques. The interaction between the porous film and melamine was also studied by using hexacyanoferrate (III) as an electrochemical indicator. (author)