Bioinspired synthesis of hematite nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide composite for application in bisphenol a detection: A new in-sight

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), one of the well-known environmental endocrine-disrupting compounds, has an effective estrogenic activity that badly impacts the environment and human health. Therefore, an urgent need arises to develop a simple and effective method for BPA detection. Herein, we report novel, disposable and flexible nanoplatforms for electrochemical determination of BPA using carbon cloth electrode supported hematite nanoparticles (α-Fe2O3NPs) on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite. The α-Fe2O3NPs@rGO composite was synthesized through a green route using leaves extract of Cinnamomum tamala that acted as a reducing and stabilizing agent for α-Fe2O3NPs followed by the addition of graphene oxide to convert it into rGO. The nanoplatform was fabricated using the electrophoretic deposition technique on carbon cloth (CC) substrate, i.e., (α-Fe2O3NPs@rGO/CC). The analytical performance of α-Fe2O3NPs@rGO/CC nanoplatform is ascribed to the synergistic effect of α-Fe2O3NPs and rGO that resulted in a larger active surface to volume ratio, superior conductivity, and enhanced electrochemical behavior. The fabricated α-Fe2O3NPs@rGO/CC nanoplatform exhibited a broad linear range from 1.9 × 10−10 to 1.00 μM having a higher sensitivity of 33.04 μA (log μM)−1 cm−2 and a low limit of detection of 0.23 μM. It also displayed excellent selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and stability with satisfying results. Moreover, the electrochemical nanoplatform helped analyze the real samples to detect BPA with acceptable results. Hence, this nanoplatform could be further utilized to detect other estrogenic analytes.