Highly sensitive electrochemical determination of rutin based on the synergistic effect of 3D porous carbon and cobalt tungstate nanosheets

Rutin, a flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables, is a potential anticancer compound with strong anticancer activity. Therefore, electrochemical sensor was developed for the detection of rutin. In this study, CoWO4 nanosheets were synthesized via a hydrothermal method, and porous carbon (PC) was prepared via high-temperature pyrolysis. Successful preparation of the materials was confirmed, and characterization was performed by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A mixture of PC and CoWO4 nanosheets was used as an electrode modifier to fabricate the electrochemical sensor for the electrochemical determination of rutin. The 3D CoWO4 nanosheets exhibited high electrocatalytic activity and good stability. PC has a high surface-to-volume ratio and superior conductivity. Moreover, the hydrophobicity of PC allows large amounts of rutin to be adsorbed, thereby increasing the concentration of rutin at the electrode surface. Owing to the synergistic effect of the 3D CoWO4 nanosheets and PC, the developed electrochemical sensor was employed to quantitively determine rutin with high stability and sensitivity. The sensor showed a good linear range (5–5000 ng/mL) with a detection limit of 0.45 ng/mL. The developed sensor was successfully applied to the determination of rutin in crushed tablets and human serum samples.