Molecularly imprinted polymer embedded by electropolymerization on chemical vapor deposition graphene for the electrochemical determination of isoproturon in water

An electrochemically synthesized isoproturon-imprinted polypyrrole film on a monolayer chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene electrode is herein reported. CVD-grown graphene on copper, transfered on metallized SiO 2 /Si substrate, were employed as working electrode. Graphene electrodes with a diameter of 1 mm were fabricated using photolithography and plasma etching before. As-prepared electrodes were subsequently used as conductive platforms for the electrochemical functionalization with an isoproturon-imprinted polypyrrole layer. Galvanostatically prepared, the functionalized film successfully entrapped isoproturon template molecules, forming recognition cavities. Following the electrochemical extraction of the template, the polypyrrole film acted as a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) capable of recognizing isoproturon. The resulting MIP-graphene electrode is then ready to be used as an electrochemical sensor for the detection and the quantification of isoproturon in water. This sensor shows excellent film stability, enabling repeated detection of the micropollutant. Under laboratory conditions, the sensor achieved a detection limit as low as 20 µg·L -1 , demonstrating strong potential for the electrochemical detection of micropollutants.