Fabrication of nanostructured PEDOT clusters using β-cyclodextrin as substrate and applied for simultaneous determination of hyperoside and shikonin

Nanostructured poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/β-cyclodextrin (PEDOT/β-CD) was prepared by the oxidation of EDOT with FeCl3 using β-CD as substrate. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found PEDOT/β-CD clusters were uniformly distributed, and hold an enhanced surface-to-volume ratio. The electrocatalytic performance of the nanostructured PEDOT/β-CD toward hyperoside and shikonin was investigated, which revealed that PEDOT/β-CD performed a better electrocatalytic activity than pure PEDOT. Thus, PEDOT/β-CD clusters were proposed as electrochemical sensing platform to detect hyperoside and shikonin. This simple PEDOT/β-CD complex demonstrated very sensitive and selective hyperoside and shikonin detection capability, as well as high reproducibility and stability.