In the present study, a peptide nanotube functionalized polydopamine (p-Dop) based molecularly imprinted (MIP) sensor system was constructed, characterized, and studied for the impedimetric sensing of an organophosphorus pesticide, malathion (MLT). Electropolymerization in the presence of a template (MLT) was utilized as a convenient and effective strategy to generate imprinted p-Dop films on peptide nanotubes (PNTs) modified graphite electrodes (PGEs). Upon the removal of template, the adsorption of MLT on the specific cavities formed in the MIP film was tracked using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). To attain optimal sensor response, experimental conditions, such as film thickness, analyte/functional monomer ratio, and desorption/adsorption time, were analyzed. The obtained MIP(p-Dop)-PNT-PGE sensor exhibited high sensitivity for electrochemical MLT analysis with a wide dynamic detection range of 13 pg mL-1 - 1.3 µg mL-1 and a LOD of 1.39 pg mL-1. The combination of a bio-inspired p-Dop-based MIP with the EIS technique allowed excellent sensitivity and selectivity toward MLT sensing which also yielded high recoveries in real samples. The success of this research strategy in real samples revealed its potential for various future environmental applications.
Keywords: Impedance spectroscopy; Malathion; Molecularly imprinted sensor; Organophosphorus pesticide; Polydopamine.
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