A highly-sensitive portable electrochemical sensor based on MWCNTs functionalized Au@Cu-MOF for environmental hormone bisphenol A

Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental hormone that is widely utilized in daily life like food containers and hygiene items, which may enter human body through food or direct contact, causing human health and safety. Thus, developing a portable electrochemical sensor for the sensitive detection of BPA in water samples is very important and interesting. We here created a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) functionalized copper metal organic framework (Au@Cu-MOF) doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite (Au@Cu-MOF/MWCNTs) to develop a portable electrochemical sensor for the sensitive detection of BPA in water samples. This sensing electrode coupled superior large surface area and high conductivity of MWCNTs, the unique catalytic characteristics of AuNP with controlled size and the regular octahedral geometry framework of Cu-MOF. The electrochemical performance of Au@Cu-MOF/MWCNTs-based screen-printed carbon electrode was characterized and studied using electrochemical techniques, which demonstrated higher reproducibility, satisfactory stability and excellent anti-interference capability. The developed portable sensor displayed good linear range 0.1–20.0 µM, satisfactory recoveries (94.04% − 102.7%) and relative standard deviation within 2.13% − 5.65%. The proposed method will be very promising for highly-sensitive portable electrochemical detection of water samples anytime and anywhere.