ABSTRACT
p-Hydroxybenzoic acid can be oxidized by hydroxyl radicals ( · OH) to produce electroactive 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,4-DHBA). Therefore, it can be used as a probe to detect ·OH. In this work, 3,4-DHBA/ PPy / TiO2 molecularly imprinted polymer film was prepared for indirect determination of ·OH based on its recognition ability for 3,4-DHBA. The sensor was constructed by using pyrrole as the functional monomer and 3, 4-DHBA as the template molecule. The sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscope and different electrochemical methods. The preparation and determination conditions, such as the electropolymerization cycle number, pH value in the electropolymerization process, and elution time, were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, a linear range of 1. 0×10-8-1. 0×10-6 mol/ L was obtained for 3,4-DHBA and the detection limit was down to 4. 2×10-9 mol/ L (S / N = 3). This new approach was of low cost and convenience, and was successfully applied to measure the concentration of ·OH in the atmosphere.