Norbixin extracted from urucum (Bixa orellana L.) for the formation of conductive composites with potential applications in electrochemical sensors

Abstract

Norbixin (NBx) is a carotenoid extracted from urucum (Bixa orellana L.), a native plant of Central and South America. NBx is anionic and is of great scientific and technological interest; however, it has not been investigated significantly. This study presents an innovative proposal for the use of NBx in the formation of thin films prepared by layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. After the extraction of NBx, it was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Subsequently, NBx was employed as a thin-film-forming agent and immobilized on an indium tin oxide electrode surface in conjunction with polyaniline (PANI), which is a conducting polymer. The present investigation stands out for its innovative character because, currently, there are no reports on the use of NBx as a film-forming agent or any studies of its electrochemical behavior. This study suggests new applications of NBx, in particular, for electrochemical sensors.