Copper oxide immobilized clay nano architectures as an efficient electrochemical sensing platform for hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

An electrochemical sensor for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) present in face bleach cream is fabricated using a composite based on bentonite (Bt) clay and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (CuO-Bt). The CuO nanoparticles’ immobilization into Bt was carried out by a two-step process in which Cu2+ is ion-exchanged into Bt layers (Cu2+-Bt) in the first step followed by the chemical reaction of NaOH with Cu2+-Bt in the second step to get the target material, CuO nanoparticles immobilized Bt (CuO-Bt). The successful immobilization of CuO nanoparticles into Bt is investigated by a variety of techniques like scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. The CuO-Bt composite is coated on a glassy carbon electrode and used as a selective electrochemical sensing platform for the determination of H2O2 based on the significant electrocatalytic property of CuO-Bt towards the H2O2 oxidation. This amperometric electrochemical sensor shows two linear detection ranges (5–50 μM and 50–10000 μM) with a limit of detection of 4.9 μM. The sensitivity is calculated to be 0.06 µA µM−1 cm−2. This electrochemical sensor exhibits high selectivity, stability, and practical applicability for the H2O2 determination in real samples.