Integrated nanozyme electrochemical sensor for the detection of tannic acid: An advanced approach to rapid and efficient environmental monitoring

Abstract

This study presents a novel methodology for the rapid on-site detection of tannic acid (TA), a prevalent organic contaminant in various natural environments, notably in plant-derived sources. The proposed approach involves the development of a compact integrated electrochemical sensor incorporating a nanozyme system. Specifically, this system comprises Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) embedded within a chitosan (CS) matrix, immobilized onto a sulfur-doped graphene (S-Gr) substrate deposited on a gold electrode (AuE). The Fe₂O₃NPs exhibit peroxidase-like artificial enzyme activity, contributing to exceptional stability and catalytic efficiency in TA oxidation processes. Additionally, the CS matrix acts as a stabilizing agent, enhancing the performance and recyclability of the nanozyme. Furthermore, the S-Gr nanomaterial facilitates rapid electron transfer, leading to heightened sensitivity and prompt response times. The integration of these advanced nanomaterials with a microfabricated electrode presents an economically feasible, reliable, and effective solution for TA detection, with promising prospects for large-scale deployment and environmental monitoring. The Fe₂O₃CS-S-Gr/AuE sensing system demonstrates a calculated limit of detection (LOD) of 3.6 × 10⁻³ µM and an increased sensitivity of 0.2 µA×µM⁻¹, with a wide linear concentration range spanning from 0.01 to 1000 µM for TA detection. Notably, the recovery values obtained for surface water samples fall within the range of 97.7 % to 99.5 %, indicating strong agreement with results derived from the standard method, UHPLC-MS/MS.