CD/AuNPs/MWCNTs based electrochemical sensor for quercetin dual-signal detection

A dual-signal strategy was developed in the present work for quercetin (QR) electrochemical recognition and detection. Mercapto-β-cyclodextrin (HS-β-CD) self-assembled on gold nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified electrode surface to fabricate an electrochemical sensor. Scanning electron microscope, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry were employed to characterize the preparation process of the sensor. Hydroquinone (HQ) was chosen as an electrochemical marker for QR detection due to its small molecular size for the formation of inclusion with HS-β-CD. The results of UV–vis and differential pulse voltammetry demonstrate that the added QR can replace the included HQ in CD cavities, resulting in the dual-signal in electrochemical experiments composed of the decrease of oxidized current of HQ and the increase of oxidized current of QR. Compared with the sensor for QR detection in the absence of HQ, the sensor based dual-signal strategy exhibited a higher sensitivity with a wider detection range from 5.0×10−9 to 7.0×10−6 mol/L. With good selectivity, reproducibility, and stability, the sensor was applied for real samples detection with satisfactory results. The proposed dual-signal strategy can be readily extended to the selective recognition and sensitive detection of other molecules.