Rational synthesis of reduced graphene oxide hybrid nanocomposite with iron tungstate for selective detection of epinephrine in biological fluids

Abstract

Hybrid nanocomposites made from metal tungstate and stacked graphene nanosheets have attracted the curiosity of researchers due to their high conductivity, strong electrochemical activity, and quick electrochemical transfer response. These properties prompted us to employ co-precipitation and sonochemical approaches to create low-cost iron tungstate (FeWO4)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid material. The as-synthesized FeWO4/rGO nanocomposites (NCs) were evaluated for their physicochemical properties and structural and morphological aspects. A modified electrode composed of FeWO4/rGO NCs was utilized to detect epinephrine (Eph), a significant neurotransmitter and hormone associated with various human activities. The electrochemical behavior of Eph was quantified using cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) on a FeWO4/rGO NCs modified electrode. According to the DPV study, Eph concentration was linearly distributed from 0.05 to 990.5 µM. For determining Eph, the sensor had a detection limit of 0.0073 µM and a sensitivity of 5.857 µAµM−1 cm−2. The sensor displayed excellent recovery results for the determination of Eph in the human urine and epinephrine pills real samples, revealing its excellent practicality.