Electrochemical sensing of cholesterol by molecularly imprinted polymer of silylated graphene oxide and chemically modified nanocellulose polymer

Highlights: • A novel GO based molecularly imprinted Si-GO-g-CMNC was prepared for the trace detection of cholesterol. • A sensing membrane with embedded MIP cavities was developed for the determination of cholesterol in blood samples. • Limit of detection and quantification were obtained as 0.861 mg/dL and 2.867 mg/dL respectively. - Abstract: Silylated Graphene oxide–grafted-chemically modified nanocellulose (Si-GO-g-CMNC) is fabricated for selective sensing of Cholesterol. Zinc oxide (ZnO) incorporated in chemically modified nanocellulose (CMNC) for enhancing the conducting nature. The sensitivity of sensor was checked by modifying the glassy carbon electrode surface (GCE) with Si-GO-g-CMNC and the electro chemical studies were conducted with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The physical and electrical properties of the sensor were analyzed by FTIR, Raman Spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, EDS and AFM techniques. CV analysis of [FeCN6]^3−/4− showed a redox potential difference of 0.156 mV on the bare GCE, while for the electrode coated with MIP, redox peak current increased to 0.2319 mV. The values of limit of detection (LOD) obtained as 7.4 μmol/L for the detection range of 5.18–25.9 μmol/L. The optimum response time and optimum pH were found to be 10 min and 7.4, respectively. DPV analysis revealed good linearity in the cholesterol sensing range of 0.6475–10.360 × 10³ μmol/L with LOD value 98.6 μmol/L.