Deposition of ZnO/α-F2O3 Nanocomposites on Screen-Printed Electrodes for Electrochemical Arsenic Detection

Sreymean Ngok; Magnus Willander; Omer Nur

doi:10.25159/3005-2602/20057

Authors

Sreymean Ngok Linköping University https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2867-1754
Magnus Willander Linköping University
Omer Nur Linköping University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/3005-2602/20057

Keywords:

screen-printed electrode, ZnO/α-Fe2O3NPs/SPCE (2.5 wt% ZF) electrode, arsenic detection, drinking water

Abstract

Developing a robust screen-printed electrochemical sensor for the determination of As⁵⁺ in drinking water based on metal oxide nanocomposite is still a challenging task. In this article, the development of electrochemical sensors by using ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) for As⁵⁺ detection is presented. The SPCE was modified by drop casting of ZnO NPs and α-Fe₂O₃NPs on the SPCE and used as a working electrode. This electrode was analysed for different concentrations of α-Fe₂O₃NPs and ZnO NPs. The samples were denoted 2.5 wt% F, 5 wt% F, 7.5 wt% F, 2.5 wt% Z, 5 wt% Z and 7.5 wt% Z, depending on the weight percentage of the NPs. The properties of the nanocomposite were characterised by UV-vis, FESEM and XRD. Moreover, the electrochemical characteristics were also analysed via linear sweep voltammetry in different water solutions with a wide range of arsenic concentrations from 0 to 50 µg/L. The results were analysed for different concentrations of both of the NPs. The best performance sample was then identified and used for further analysis. From the electrochemical studies, the sensor attained a low detection limit of 2.7 ppb for As⁵⁺, which is below the maximum allowable limit recommended by the World Health Organization for standard drinking water. Consequently, the results confirm that the electrochemical catalytic activity of ZnO/α-Fe₂O₃NPs/SPCE with 2.5 wt% ZF can be used as an efficient electrode to further develop an As⁵⁺ sensor system for analysis of real samples.

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