Simultaneous Electrochemical Detection of Nitrite and Hydrogen Peroxide Based on 3D Au-rGO/FTO Obtained Through a One-Step Synthesis

Sensors (Basel). 2019 Mar 15;19(6):1304. doi: 10.3390/s19061304.

Abstract

In this paper, Au and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were successively deposited on fluorine-doped SnO₂ transparent conductive glass (FTO, 1 × 2 cm) via a facile and one-step electrodeposition method to form a clean interface and construct a three-dimensional network structure for the simultaneous detection of nitrite and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). For nitrite detection, 3D Au-rGO/FTO displayed a sensitivity of 419 μA mM-1 cm-2 and a linear range from 0.0299 to 5.74 mM, while for the detection of H₂O₂, the sensitivity was 236 μA mM-1 cm-2 and a range from 0.179 to 10.5 mM. The combined results from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) and electrochemical tests demonstrated that the properties of 3D Au-rGO/FTO were attributabled to the conductive network consisting of rGO and the good dispersion of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) which can provide better electrochemical properties than other metal compounds, such as a larger electroactive surface area, more active sites, and a bigger catalytic rate constant.

Keywords: 3D Au-rGO/FTO; hydrogen peroxide sensing; nitrite sensing; one-step electrodeposition; simultaneous detection.