Gold nanoparticle ensemble on polydopamine/graphene nanohybrid as a novel electrocatalyst for determination of baicalein

ABSTRACT A facile and green approach is used to synthesize polydopamine (PDA) functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via the self‐polymerization of dopamine (DA) under alkaline conditions. The obtained reduced RGO/PDA composite facilitate Au precursor adsorption. Then Au nanoparticles are reduced and assemble onto the surface of RGO/PDA composite form reduced RGO/PDA/gold (RGO/PDA/Au) nanocatalysts. After that, a sensitive electrochemical sensor for baicalein is fabricated based on RGO/PDA/Au nanocatalysts. In this method, the hydroxyl units of PDA can form hydrogen bonding with the phenolic hydroxyl groups of baicalein, making baicalein easily adsorb on the modified electrode surface to enhance the electrochemical response. The electrochemical mechanism of baicalein on the RGO/PDA/Au nanocatalysts modified GCE is thoroughly investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The fabricated electrochemical sensor show good electrochemical activity for baicalein. The linear range of baicalein is 1 × 10 −8 to 15 × 10 −6 mol L −1 with the detection limit of 3.1 × 10 −9 mol L −1 . Furthermore, the proposed electrochemical sensor can be used to detect real sample. The results reveal that this method provides a new avenue for electrochemical investigation of baicalein in biochemical, pharmaceutical, and clinical research. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 46720.