Innovative formulation of a functional nano-copolymer derived from glycidyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile as an exceptionally sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor for folic acid detection in pharmaceutical and food samples

The detection of folic acid in food samples or pharmaceutical drugs is crucial since folic acid affects the development and growth of a fetus and the biological processes of the human body. In this study, we aimed to develop an advanced multifunctional electrochemical sensor for folic acid detection in pharmaceutical and food samples utilizing a synthetic functional copolymer at the nanoscale. The multifunctional copolymer nanospheres [P(MMA/GMA/AN)] prepared from methyl methacrylate (MMA), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and acrylonitrile (AN) were synthesized using an environmentally friendly free radical microemulsion polymerization method. The distinctive high-functional copolymer nanospheres were analyzed through Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared with those of the respective homopolymers PMMA, PGMA and PAN. The electrochemical characterizations of P(MMA/GMA/AN) and its respective homopolymers (PMMA, PGMA and PAN) were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The (MMA/GMA/AN) terpolymer demonstrated markedly superior electrical conductivity when compared with that of the homopolymers, which were ranked in terms of electrical conductivity values as follows: PAN, PGMA, and PMMA. Furthermore, a copolymer-modified screen-printed electrode (SPE) sensor successfully detected the presence of folic acid using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with a wide linear range from 0.1 nM to 5000 nM and a limit of detection of 0.015 nM. The sensor was applied for FA detection in food samples and pharmaceutical products with high recovery.