Selective electrochemical sensing for arsenite using rGO/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Arsenite contamination in water poses a significant environmental and health risk.
• Developing cost-effective and sensitive detection methods for arsenite is crucial.
• Noble metal-based electrochemical sensors often face challenges with cost and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel reduced graphene oxide/iron oxide nanocomposites (rGO/Fe3O4 NCs).
• To evaluate the efficacy of rGO/Fe3O4 NCs modified electrodes for the electrochemical detection of arsenite.
• To assess the sensor's sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and reproducibility.

Main Methods:

• Facile one-step chemical reduction synthesis of rGO/Fe3O4 NCs.
• Characterization of NCs using optical, morphological, and structural analysis.
• Electrochemical detection of arsenite using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) on modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCE).

Main Results:

• The synthesized rGO/Fe3O4 NCs exhibited desirable properties for electrochemical sensing.
• The modified electrodes (NCs/GCE) demonstrated high sensitivity (0.281 μA/ppb) and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.12 ppb for arsenite.
• The sensor showed excellent selectivity, with no interference from common cationic species, and good stability and reproducibility.

Conclusions:

• The developed rGO/Fe3O4 NCs provide a promising noble metal-free platform for sensitive and selective arsenite detection.
• The proposed electrochemical sensor offers a cost-effective and practical solution for monitoring arsenite in water.
• Further application of this sensor in real-world environmental samples is warranted.