Mn2O3 nanoparticle-porous silicon nanocomposite based amperometric sensor for sensitive detection and quantification of Acetaminophen in real samples

Abstract

Acetaminophen (AcP) commonly known as paracetamol is the most extensively used non-prescribed medication for the treatment of fever and different kinds of pain. Due to the wide range of use, the determination of AcP contents in commercial tablets, residual AcP present in human blood serum, and the presence of AcP in the environment from the unavoidable leakage during the industrial production becomes crucial. Therefore, we proposed an AcP sensor utilizing a novel Mn 2 O 3 -embedded mesoporous silicon (Mn 2 O 3 @PSi) nanocomposite fabricated glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Modern characterization techniques including FESEM, TEM, EDXS, XRD, XPS, and FTIR spectroscopy were employed to characterize the fabricated Mn 2 O 3 @PSi nanocomposite. XRD and XPS analysis confirmed the fruitful development of nanocomposite consisting of PSi, and Mn 2 O 3 . TEM images revealed that Mn 2 O 3 nanoparticles were randomly distributed onto the PSi matrix. In the electrochemical investigations via the most reliable amperometric technique, the Mn 2 O 3 @PSi/GCE sensor showed excellent sensitivity (0.7948 μAμM −1 cm −2 ), a wide LDR (0.3–138.7 μM), and a very low detection limit (LOD ∼0.033 μM). The newly developed AcP sensor was further used to check the potential chemical interference using several closely related chemicals, presenting an extreme selectivity towards the AcP detection. The Mn 2 O 3 @PSi/GCE sensor electrode was also employed to determine the AcP in commercial paracetamol tablets and showed ∼100% quantitative recovery. During the AcP determination, the Mn 2 O 3 @PSi/GCE sensor also displayed excellent reproducibility, repeatability, and stability. It is anticipated that this Mn 2 O 3 @PSi/GCE assembly will emerge as an efficient route in developing an effective AcP sensor.