Graphene-Based Electrochemical Sensing Platform for Rapid and Selective Ferulic Acid Quantification

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Ferulic acid (FA) possesses diverse physiological functions, leading to its widespread use in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
• Accurate and sensitive detection methods for FA are crucial for quality control and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel electroanalytical sensing platform for the sensitive and selective quantification of ferulic acid.
• To utilize a sulphur-doped graphene material for enhanced electrochemical detection.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of few-layer graphene material (exf-SGR) via electrochemical oxidation of graphite in a Na2S2O3/(NH4)2SO4 mixture.
• Characterization of exf-SGR using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to confirm sulphur doping and C/S ratio.
• Electrochemical detection of ferulic acid using a glassy carbon electrode modified with exf-SGR, employing cyclic voltammetry.

Main Results:

• The exf-SGR material exhibited a high degree of sulphur heteroatom doping.
• The developed electrochemical sensor demonstrated a low limit of detection for ferulic acid (30.3 nM).
• The sensor displayed excellent stability and reproducibility in both standard solutions and real pharmaceutical samples.

Conclusions:

• The sulphur-doped graphene-based electrochemical sensor is a viable tool for the rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of ferulic acid.
• This approach offers a promising solution for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of ferulic acid in pharmaceutical samples.
• The developed sensor highlights the potential of engineered graphene materials in advanced analytical applications.