Sensitive and reliable ascorbic acid sensing by lanthanum oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Ascorbic acid (AA) detection is crucial for health and food industries.
• Developing efficient and sensitive detection methods for AA remains an active research area.
• Nanocomposite materials offer unique properties for electrochemical sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and efficient electrochemical sensor for ascorbic acid (AA) detection.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of lanthanum oxide (LO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) in a nanocomposite for enhanced sensing.
• To evaluate the performance and applicability of the LO/RGO nanocomposite sensor.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a lanthanum oxide-reduced graphene oxide (LO/RGO) nanocomposite on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate.
• Electrochemical characterization using techniques such as chronoamperometry.
• Investigation of the detection mechanism and sensing efficacy of the LO/RGO nanocomposite.
• Analysis of commercially available vitamin C tablets using the developed sensor.

Main Results:

• The LO/RGO nanocomposite exhibited high catalytic activity for AA oxidation.
• Electrochemical studies confirmed the synergistic effect between LO and RGO, leading to efficient detection.
• Chronoamperometric analysis showed a linear response range of 14 to 100 μM for AA.
• The sensor achieved a high recovery percentage (97.64-99.7%) when analyzing vitamin C tablets.

Conclusions:

• The LO/RGO nanocomposite on an ITO substrate provides a sensitive and reliable platform for ascorbic acid detection.
• The synergistic interaction between LO and RGO is key to the sensor's enhanced performance.
• The developed sensor shows significant potential for practical applications in AA determination.