Chemically modified electrochemical sensors for the detection of β-blockers: an overview of electrode modifiers

Abstract

β-blockers are a significant class of medications generally used to treat cardiovascular related diseases, but toxicity from overdoses can lead to serious side effects. In addition to this, they may also be used as doping agents by athletes due to their sedative effects. Therefore, it is crucial for their detection. Traditional detection methods include chromatography, spectroscopy, etc., but these techniques are tedious and labor-intensive, and the instruments are cumbersome. Electrochemical methods have become an important alternative to traditional methods because of their high selectivity, high sensitivity, minimal expense, and portability. For the purpose of enhancing the performance of electrochemical methods, this article focuses on three types of electrode modification materials: molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), carbon nanomaterials, and metal nanoparticles. MIPs are an important class of selective adsorption materials, which can adsorb a certain type of β-blockers through hydrophobic interaction, π-π interaction, hydrogen bonding, etc., thereby improving the selectivity and sensitivity of electrochemical sensors. Carbon nanomaterials and metal nanoparticles have strong electroconductivity and enormous specific surface area, which can promote the electron transfer rate on the working electrode surface and improve the sensitivity of the sensor. In addition, they also have some unique properties respectively. Furthermore, the trend of electrochemical detection of β-blockers and the prospect of future development are suggested.