Development of a flexible and disposable electrochemical sensor based on poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and graphite for hydroquinone sensing

• Published in: Sensors and actuators reports 2022-11, Vol.4, p.100091, Article 100091
• Main Authors: Maciel, Cristiane C., de Lima, Lucas F., Ferreira, André L., de Araujo, William R., Ferreira, Marystela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: composite materials; contact angle; dielectric spectroscopy; Disposable device; electrochemistry; electron transfer; ferricyanides; flexible electrochemical sensor; graphene; hydroquinone; manufacturing; ointments; polymers; Raman spectroscopy; sensors (equipment); standard deviation; thermoplastic composite material; voltammetry
• ISSN: 2666-0539; 2666-0539
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snr.2022.100091

•Flexible sensor based on biodegradable polymer with graphite, low cost and excellent sensitivity.•Disposable composite sensor with accelerated effect for photodegradation analysis.•A flexible device that demonstrates excellent flexibility when subjected to bending with curvatures approaching 180°.•Flexible sensor for hydroquinone determination. We propose the manufacture and optimization of a flexible electrochemical sensor composed of graphite and the polymer poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). The characterization was performed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), contact angle, Raman spectroscopy, mechanical tensile tests, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical composite material shows a high electroactive area (0.52 cm²), with an electron transfer rate constant (k0) of 4.55 × 10−3 cm s−1 for potassium ferricyanide and good reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.5%). As proof of potentiality, the composite sensor was applied for hydroquinone (HQ) detection using the Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) technique. Under optimized manufacturing and instrumental parameters, a linear concentration ranging from 0.1 to 1.4 mmol L−1 HQ with a LOD of 1.01 × 10−6 mol L−1 and LOQ 3.4 × 10−6 mol L−1 were obtained using the flexible composite sensor. In addition, the proposed method was applied to the detection of HQ in the pharmaceutical ointment sample with good agreement between the labelled value and found by the proposed method. Besides, recovery values ranging from 91.85 to 101.37% were obtained, highlighting the adequate accuracy of the method. The sensors described here have the advantage of being flexible, disposable, reproducible (RSD = 4.5%), and of low manufacturing cost ($0.17 per device), which makes them attractive for portable analysis. [Display omitted]