Detection of nitrite using a novel electrochemical sensor based on palladium/zinc oxide/ graphene oxide nanocomposite
Amir Moradi, Parvin Dehghan, Esmaeel Alipour, Baharak Divband, Arezou Akbari, Arezou Khezerlou
Abstract
Palladium/zinc oxide loaded on graphene oxide (PZGO) nanocomposites were successfully synthesised in-situ for the first time, and its properties were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and powder-XRD techniques. The prepared nanocomposite was used to modify the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface for the determination of nitrite ions (NO2−) in foodstuffs. The synergetic effect of different layers was then investigated using PZGO nanocomposites and graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO) to modify the GCE surface. Voltammetric analysis showed that the nanocomposite has a desirable catalytic activity towards nitrite oxidation. The proposed sensor can selectively detect nitrite ions within a linear range from 3.17 μM to 1111 μM with a detection limit of 2.39 μM. The synthesised nanocomposites were stable for at least 9 months and the developed sensor had long stability.