Fabrication of ZIF-67/CNF/PANI composite for selective and sensitive determination of dopamine

ZIF-67/CNF/PANI composite has been prepared by simple hydrothermal method at room temperature and successfully applied as an electrochemical sensor in the measurement of trace-level dopamine. The composite has been characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Elemental analysis, and BET surface area studies. The composite exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards dopamine due to the synergistic effect between ZIF-67 and CNF/PANI materials. It showed an excellent peak current response in the measurement of dopamine in the presence of interferants such as uric acid, ascorbic acid, glucose, and some inorganic ions. The proposed sensor showed wide linearity in the concentration range, 3–160 µM with a limit of detection, 0.047 µM and sensitivity of 10.8 μA mM −1 cm −2 . The developed sensor has been successfully utilized to measure dopamine levels from dopamine hydrochloride injection and blood serum samples to demonstrate the practical utility of the sensor. Graphical abstract