Abstract
In this work, novel platforms for paracetamol sensing were developed by the deposition of Bi2O3, Bi5O7NO3 and their heterostructures onto screen-printed carbon-paste electrodes. An easy and scalable solid state synthesis route was employed, and by setting the calcination temperatures at 500 °C and 525 °C we induced the formation of heterostructures of Bi2O3 and Bi5O7NO3. Cyclic voltammetry measurements highlighted that the heterostructure produced at 500 °C provided a significant enhancement in performance compared to the monophases of Bi2O and Bi5O7NO3, respectively. That heterostructure showed a mean peak-to-peak separation Ep of 411 mV and a sensitivity increment of up to 70% compared to bare electrodes. A computational study was also performed in order to evaluate the geometrical and kinetic parameters of representative clusters of bismuth oxide and subnitrate when they interact with paracetamol.
Highlights
Paracetamol (PCM) is one of the most commonly consumed drugs in the world, being used as an antipyretic, analgesic, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound [1]
It was possible to apply the generalized theory of Marcus [30,31] and to estimate the rate constant of the electron transfer
We reported a systematic study on the effect of the production temperature on the electrochemical performances of bismuth subnitrate species, evaluating their electron transfer rate constant through empirical data using the Laviron model and semiempirical computational methods
Summary
Paracetamol (PCM) is one of the most commonly consumed drugs in the world, being used as an antipyretic, analgesic, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound [1]. PCM is considered an emerging freshwater pollutant by Murray et al [6], based on a number of criteria such as its toxicity to aquatic organisms and its environmental persistence. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that many waste treatment facilities are not capable of adequately detecting and removing its toxic degradation products [7]. It has been reported that the presence of PCM or its degradation products in water can induce neurotoxic effects on aquatic organisms [9], by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase. Even if the concentration of this particular xenobiotic is relatively low, Elersek et al [10] showed that the presence of other drugs with a similar mode of action can lead to synergistic interactions, increasing the risk of toxic effects
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