One pot green synthesis of novel rGO@ZnO nanocomposite and fabrication of electrochemical sensor for ascorbic acid using screen-printed electrode

Abstract

Developing a novel sensor for analysing of ascorbic acid present in food items and nutraceuticals is been very important research topic for materials scientists, medicine and food researchers. In the present work, we demonstrate the detection of an ascorbic acid (AA) by using an electrochemical sensor made from novel rGO@ZnO nanocomposite material. We synthesized a ZnO-nanoparticle-decorated reduced graphene oxide composite (rGO@ZnO) using a one-pot hazard free green-hydrothermal method. Multi characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, were precisely used to understand the structure and properties of the rGO@ZnO nanohybrid. Finally, the synthesized rGO@ZnO nanohybrids were utilized to fabricate low cost screen printed electrode (SPE) electrochemical sensor for highly sensitive detection of ascorbic acid (AA). The observed electrochemical sensing results indicate wide linearity from 0.1 mmol to 1.5 mmol with good repeatability and reproducibility. The results confirm that the synthesized novel rGO@ZnO nanohybrids exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity towards AA with high stability and sensitivity.