Selective detection of folic acid using 3D polymeric structures of 3-carboxylic polypyrrole

Abstract

The detection of folic acid in biological samples or pharmaceutical products is of great importance due to its implications in the biological functions of the human body, along with the development and growth of the fetus. The deficiency of folic acid can be reversed by the intake of different pharmaceutical formulations or alimentary products fortified with this molecule. The elaboration of sensing platforms represents a continuous work in progress, a task in which the use of conductive polymers modified with different functionalities represents one of the outcoming strategies. The possibility of manipulating their morphology with the use of templates or surfactants represents another advantage. A sensing platform based on carboxylic functionalized polypyrrole was synthesized via the electrochemical approach in the presence of a polymeric surfactant on a graphite-based surface. The sensor was able to detect the folic acid from 2.5 µM to 200 µM with a calculated limited of detection of 0.8 µM. It was employed for the detection of the analyte from commercial human serum and pharmaceutical products with excellent recovery rates. The results were double checked using an optimized spectrophotometric procedure that confirmed furthermore the performances of the sensor related to real samples assessment.