We report on the synthesis of platinum nanoparticle–reduced graphene oxide (PtNP–rGO) composites and their application as a novel architecture in electrochemical detection of rutin. PtNPs anchored over rGO are synthesized through a facile one-pot synthesis method, where the reduction of GO and in situ generation of PtNPs occurred concurrently. The characterization results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrate that PtNPs with small particle sizes are dispersed on the rGO matrix. Electrochemical measurements reveal that a PtNP–rGO modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) directly catalyzes rutin oxidation and displays an enhanced current response compared with a bare GCE. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the peak current was linear with rutin concentration in the range of 5 × 10−8 to 1 × 10−5 M with the detection limit of 1 × 10−8 M (S/N = 3) by differential pulse voltammetry. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine rutin in tablet samples with satisfactory results.
