Open AccessEfficient 2-Nitrophenol Chemical Sensor Development Based on Ce2O3 Nanoparticles Decorated CNT Nanocomposites for Environmental Safety
Author(s) -
Mohammad Musarraf Hussain,
Mohammed M. Rahman,
Abdullah M. Asiri
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0166265
Subject(s) - x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , materials science , nanomaterials , detection limit , nanocomposite , nanoparticle , carbon nanotube , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , electrochemical gas sensor , analytical chemistry (journal) , electrochemistry , electrode , chemistry , organic chemistry , chromatography , engineering
Ce 2 O 3 nanoparticle decorated CNT nanocomposites (Ce 2 O 3 .CNT NCs) were prepared by a wet-chemical method in basic medium. The Ce 2 O 3 .CNT NCs were examined using FTIR, UV/Vis, Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray electron dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). A selective 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) sensor was developed by fabricating a thin-layer of NCs onto a flat glassy carbon electrode (GCE, surface area = 0.0316 cm 2 ). Higher sensitivity including linear dynamic range (LDR), long-term stability, and enhanced electrochemical performances towards 2-NP were achieved by a reliable current-voltage (I-V) method. The calibration curve was found linear ( R 2 = 0.9030) over a wide range of 2-NP concentration (100 pM ~ 100.0 mM). Limit of detection (LOD) and sensor sensitivity were calculated based on noise to signal ratio (~3N/S) as 60 ± 0.02 pM and 1.6×10 −3 μAμM -1 cm -2 respectively. The Ce 2 O 3 .CNT NCs synthesized by a wet-chemical process is an excellent way of establishing nanomaterial decorated carbon materials for chemical sensor development in favor of detecting hazardous compounds in health-care and environmental fields at broad-scales. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed chemical sensors can be applied and utilized in effectively for the selective detection of toxic 2-NP component in environmental real samples with acceptable and reasonable results.