Malays. J. Anal. Sci. Volume 29 Number 2 (2025): 1284

Research Article

Modification of screen-printed gold electrode based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for 17β-estradiol detection

Julia Hayati Saipol Bahri¹, Tuan Mohamad Fauzan Tuan Omar^1,2, Hafiza Mohamed Zuki¹, and Azrilawani Ahmad^1,2*

¹Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

²Ocean Pollution and Ecotoxicology Research Group, Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

^*Corresponding author: azrilawani.ahmad@umt.edu.my

Received: 26 August 2024; Revised: 30 November 2024; Accepted: 12 February 2025; Published: 8 April 2025

Abstract

An efficient approach that integrates a molecularly imprinted conducting polymer, polypyrrole, with a sensitive electrochemical sensing platform for quantifying 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) is presented. The molecular imprinting process employed a one-pot step using the electrochemical polymerisation of pyrrole as a monomer and 17β-E2 as a template molecule, which enabled the control of polymer film thickness, easy adherence of the polymer layers on the sensing substrate, and simplicity of the fabrication on screen-printed gold electrode (SPGE). The molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor (MIP/SPGE) was characterised physically using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared, and it was electrochemically characterised using cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The LSV technique was carried out as a detection method because 17β-E2 molecules are electrically insulative and non-electroactive. The MIP/SPGE demonstrates a wide linear detection range, spanning from 0.5 ppm to 10.0 ppm, with a detection limit of 0.00836 ppm and a quantification limit of 0.02785 ppm. The imprinted variant shows a significantly higher affinity for 17β-E2 binding than the non-imprinted sensor. Furthermore, selectivity assessments conducted with testosterone, a similar hormone, confirmed the sensor’s high selectivity.

Keywords: screen-printed gold electrode, 17β-estradiol, polypyrrole, electrochemical polymerisation, molecularly imprinted polymer

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