Rapid One-Pot Synthesis of Polydopamine Encapsulated Carbon Anchored with Au Nanoparticles: Versatile Electrocatalysts for Chloramphenicol and Folic Acid Sensors

Designing and engineering nanocomposites with tailored physiochemical properties through teaming distinct components is a straightforward strategy to yield multifunctional materials. Here, we describe a rapid, economical, and green one-pot microwave synthetic procedure for the preparation of ternary nanocomposites carbon/polydopamine/Au nanoparticles (C/PDA/AuNPs; C = carbon nanotubes (CNTs), reduced graphene oxide (rGO)). No harsh reaction conditions were used in the method, as are used in conventional hydrothermal or high-temperature methods. The PDA unit acts as a non-covalent functionalizing agent for carbon, through π stacking interactions, and also as a stabilizing agent for the formation of AuNPs. The CNTs/PDA/AuNPs modified electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity to oxidize chloramphenicol and the resulting sensor exhibited a low detection limit (36 nM), wide linear range (0.1–534 μM), good selectivity (against 5-fold excess levels of interferences), appreciable reproducibility (3.47%), good stability (94.7%), and practicality (recoveries 95.0%–98.4%). Likewise, rGO/PDA/AuNPs was used to fabricate a sensitive folic acid sensor, which exhibits excellent analytical parameters, including wide linear range (0.1–905 μM) and low detection limit (25 nM). The described synthetic route includes fast reaction time (5 min) and a readily available household microwave heating device, which has the potential to significantly contribute to the current state of the field.