Electrochemical sensor study of TiO2 nanoparticle–graphene composite produced by mechanical milling and sonication-assisted exfoliation

Abstract

TiO2 nanoparticle-decorated graphene was produced by mechanical milling of TiO2 powder with graphite followed by sonication of the nanocomposite in the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate surfactant. Sonication led to the exfoliation of graphite to produce TiO2 nanoparticle–graphene composite. The as-prepared TiO2–graphite nanocomposite was characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy and the exfoliated TiO2–graphene nanocomposite was analyzed using Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated the formation of faceted titanium dioxide particles with an average size of ~ 200 nm. Thickness of the few layered graphene sheets was found to be 2 + 0.8 nm. The glassy carbon electrode coated with the TiO2 nanoparticle–graphene composite was used to detect potassium ferricyanide (K3FeCN6) by cyclic voltammetric method. TiO2 nanoparticle–graphene-coated surface demonstrated improved response with enhanced current for K3FeCN6 detection.