Lanthanum doped copper ferrite as efficient Electrocatalyst for simultaneous detection of Bentazone and Diuron in...

Bentazon (BTZ) and diuron (DU) are the most widely used herbicides in farming to control broadleaf weeds and sedges. The current work adopted an eco-friendly approach to synthesize lanthanum-substituted copper ferrite (CuLaFe₂O₄) by sol-gel auto-combustion method. Analytical characterization of synthesized CuLaFe₂O₄ revealed spinel lattice with average surface charge of -26.83 mV. The average pore volume of CuLaFe₂O₄ was calculated 0.0928 cc/g and particle size less than 50 nm. An efficient electrochemical sensor was fabricated by modifying gold electrode (AuE) with CuLaFe₂O₄ as (CuLaFe₂O₄/AuE) for simultaneous detection of BTZ and DU in real water and vegetable samples. The fabricated CuLaFe₂O₄/AuE was characterized by cyclic voltammetry which confirm its diffusion controlled kinetics. The developed electrochemical approach showed a linear response in 0.1 M phosphate buffer of pH 7.0 within dynamic range of 0.005-50 μM and 0.01-820 μM with 0.97 and 0.17 nM detection limits for BTZ and DU, respectively.