Electrochemical Determination of Nitrite by Au Nanoparticle/Graphene-Chitosan Modified Electrode

A highly sensitive nitrite (NO₂⁻) electrochemical sensor is fabricated using glassy carbon electrode modified with Au nanoparticle and grapheme oxide. Briefly, this electrochemical sensor was prepared by drop-coating graphene oxide-chitosan mixed film on the surface of the electrode and then electrodepositing a layer of Au nanoparticle using cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical behavior of NO₂⁻ on the sensor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and amperometric i-t curve. The results showed that the sensor exhibited better electrocatalytic activity for NO₂⁻ in 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (pH 5.0). The oxidation peak current was positively correlated with NO₂⁻ concentration in the ranges of 0.9 µM to 18.9 µM. The detection limit was estimated to be 0.3 µM. In addition, the interference of some common ions (e.g., NO₃⁻, CO₃²⁻, SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺) and oxidizable compound including sodium sulfite and ascorbic acid in the detection of nitrite was also studied. The results show that this sensor is more sensitive and selective to NO₂⁻. Therefore, this electrochemical sensor provided an effective tool for the detection of NO₂⁻.