Dielectric study and electrochemical detection of ascorbic acid using modified electrode treated with europium-doped tricalcium aluminate nanoparticles

Abstract

The current study involved the dielectric, and sensor properties of trivalent europium (Eu3+) doped tricalcium aluminate (Ca3Al2O6) Nanoparticles. These samples were synthesized through the solution combustion method with urea (NH2CO·NH2) as the fuel. Structural analysis confirms that the samples exhibited a sustainable cubic phase with the Pm-3m space group. The irregular spherical morphology and agglomeration of synthesized particles were observed using a scanning electron microscope. The energy bandgap values were calculated using the Kubelka and Munk relation, which ranged from 5.14 to 5.27 eV. To examine the dielectric behavior at different frequencies, electrical impedance spectroscopy was performed which provided insights into the changes in electrical permittivity and revealed the contributions of both grains and grain boundaries in the samples. The synthesized material exhibited higher values of dielectric constant and loss at lower frequencies, which decreased significantly as the frequency increased. This suggests that the samples are suitable for applications in microwave devices. Also, the electrochemical studies demonstrate the sensor's rapid amperometric response to ascorbic acid oxidation. The current constructed sensor has a sensitivity of 0.0065 A for ascorbic acid and the electrode treated with Ca3-xAl2O6:xEu3+ (x = 0.05) is better able to detect the electrochemical behavior of substances like ascorbic acid.