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A sensitive nitrite sensor using an electrode consisting of reduced graphene oxide functionalized with ferrocene

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Abstract

A composite consisting of chitosan containing azidomethylferrocene covalently immobilized on sheets of reduced graphene oxide was drop-casted on a polyester support to form a screen-printed working electrode that is shown to enable the determination of nitrite by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Both reduction and oxidation of nitrite can be accomplished due to the high electron-transfer rate of this electrode. Under optimal experimental conditions (i.e. an applied potential of 0.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl in pH 7.0 solution), the calibration plot is linear in the 2.5 to 1450 μM concentration range, with an ~0.35 μM limit of detection (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3). The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite in spiked mineral water samples, with recoveries ranging between 95 and 101 %.

We describe the design of ferrocene-functionalized reduced graphene oxide electrode and its electrocatalytic properties towards the determination of nitrite. Compared to a reduced graphene oxide electrode, the sensor exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards both oxidation and reduction of nitrite.

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Acknowledgments

A. Rabti acknowledges the support given by the University of Tunis El Manar and the LCAE laboratory (LR99ES15) for research and travel funds. NR acknowledges the support from TWAS for the research grant (13-413 RG/PHA/AF/AC_C).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Electrochemistry (LR99ES15), University of Tunis El Manar, Campus universitaire de Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia

    Amal Rabti & Noureddine Raouafi

  2. Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Taibah University, PO. Box 30002, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia

    Sami Ben Aoun

Authors
  1. Amal Rabti
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  2. Sami Ben Aoun
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  3. Noureddine Raouafi
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Correspondence to Sami Ben Aoun or Noureddine Raouafi.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Rabti, A., Ben Aoun, S. & Raouafi, N. A sensitive nitrite sensor using an electrode consisting of reduced graphene oxide functionalized with ferrocene. Microchim Acta 183, 3111–3117 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-016-1959-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-016-1959-4

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