A novel electrochemical sensor based on WO3 nanorods-decorated poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) functionalized graphene nanocomposite modified electrode for detecting of puerarin

An electrochemical sensing platform was fabricated based on composition of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), graphene (GN) and WO3 nanorods on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The PSS-GN/WO3 nanocomposite significantly increased the oxidative activity of puerarin due to the individual merit and mutual effect of PSS-GN and WO3 nanorods which improved the performance of the electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) measurements were used for the detection of puerarin. Under the optimal conditions, the oxidation peak currents of puerarin increased proportionally to the concentration within the range of 0.06-0.6 mu mol L-1 and 0.6-6.0 mu mol L-1, and the limit of detection was 0.04 mu mol L-1. The proposed modified electrode was highly sensitive and was successfully applied to determine puerarin in the pharmaceutical sample and human plasma with satisfactory recoveries. The as-prepared PSS-GN/WO3/GCE electrochemical sensor offers a feasible way for designing simpler, low-cost, no toxic and environment-friendly sensors based on WO3 nanorods.