A sensitive dopamine electrochemical sensor based on hollow zeolitic imidazolate framework

[Display omitted] In this paper, a hollow zeolitic imidazolate framework compound was prepared by a facile solvothermal method. The scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, energy disperse spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and N2 adsorption-desorption techniques were applied to survey the morphology and structure of the prepared compound, which confirmed that the prepared compound owned a hollow rhombic dodecahedron structure with a core thickness of 450 nm and a 110 nm shell. Based on the prepared compound, a dopamine electrochemical sensor was fabricated. Electrochemical experiments indicated that the dopamine sensor had a wide linear region from 0.25 μM to 0.59 mM, a high sensitivity of 0.32 μA μM−1 cm-2 and a low detection limit of 0.012 μM. Additionally, the dopamine sensor had satisfactory reproducibility and stability, which can be used for the determination of DA in the real sample. The electrochemical results revealed that the hollow zeolitic imidazolate framework compound was an effective material to catalyze the oxidation of dopamine.