Efficient 2-Nitrophenol Chemical Sensor Development Based on Ce2O3 Nanoparticles Decorated CNT Nanocomposites for Environmental Safety

• Published in: PloS one 2016-12, Vol.11 (12), p.e0166265
• Main Authors: Hussain, Mohammad M, Rahman, Mohammed M, Asiri, Abdullah M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Calibration; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; Catalytic cracking; Cerium - chemistry; Chemical sensors; Chemical synthesis; Chemicals; Chemistry; Decoration; Dynamic stability; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Electron microscopy; Engineering and Technology; Environment; Glassy carbon; Industrial wastes; Limit of Detection; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Nanocomposites; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; Nitrophenol; Nitrophenols - chemistry; Photocatalysis; Photoelectron Spectroscopy; Photoelectrons; Physical Sciences; Pollutants; Quantum dots; Research and Analysis Methods; Scanning electron microscopy; Science; Sensitivity; Sensors; Silver; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Spectroscopy; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Surface area; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X ray powder diffraction; X ray spectroscopy; X-Ray Diffraction
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166265

Ce2O3 nanoparticle decorated CNT nanocomposites (Ce2O3.CNT NCs) were prepared by a wet-chemical method in basic medium. The Ce2O3.CNT NCs were examined using FTIR, UV/Vis, Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray electron dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). A selective 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) sensor was developed by fabricating a thin-layer of NCs onto a flat glassy carbon electrode (GCE, surface area = 0.0316 cm2). Higher sensitivity including linear dynamic range (LDR), long-term stability, and enhanced electrochemical performances towards 2-NP were achieved by a reliable current-voltage (I-V) method. The calibration curve was found linear (R2 = 0.9030) over a wide range of 2-NP concentration (100 pM ~ 100.0 mM). Limit of detection (LOD) and sensor sensitivity were calculated based on noise to signal ratio (~3N/S) as 60 ± 0.02 pM and 1.6×10-3 μAμM-1cm-2 respectively. The Ce2O3.CNT NCs synthesized by a wet-chemical process is an excellent way of establishing nanomaterial decorated carbon materials for chemical sensor development in favor of detecting hazardous compounds in health-care and environmental fields at broad-scales. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed chemical sensors can be applied and utilized in effectively for the selective detection of toxic 2-NP component in environmental real samples with acceptable and reasonable results.