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Phosphorus-doped carbon nanocages are prepared from the mixture of triphenylphosphine and benzene through a chemical vapor deposition method. The as-prepared phosphorus doped sample displays a three dimensional nanosized hollow structure with high specific surface area. Based on these unique properties, phosphorus-doped carbon nanocages have been developed to fabricate an electrochemical sensor. The cyclic voltammetry experimental results indicate that the sensor possesses an excellent catalytic capacity. Compared with carbon nanotubes, the prepared sensor shows a higher sensitivity for dopamine and uric acid. The sensor also shows good selectivity for these analytes. With the acceptable reproducibility and stability, the sensor is applied for real samples with satisfactory results. The simple and efficient sensor in the present work implies that the phosphorus-doped carbon nanocages can be further used for other compounds determination.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and boronic acid based molecular imprinting polymer (MIP) were successively modified on a glassy carbon electrode surface to fabricate a novel electrochemical sensor for rutin recognition and detection. 3-Aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) was chosen as a monomer for the electropolymerization of MIP film in the presence of rutin. In addition to the imprinted cavities in MIP film to complement the template molecule in shape and functional groups, the high affinity between the boronic acid group of APBA and vicinal diols of rutin also enhanced the selectivity of the sensor, which made the sensor display a good selectivity to rutin. Moreover, the modified MWNTs improved the sensitivity of the sensor for rutin detection. The mole ratios of rutin and APBA, electropolymerized scan cycles and rates, and pH value of the detection solution were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the sensor was used to detect rutin in a linear range from 4.0 × 10−7 to 1.0 × 10−5 mol L−1 with a detection limit of 1.1 × 10−7 mol L−1. The sensor has also been applied to assay rutin in tablets with satisfactory results.