Abstract
Nitrobenzene (NB) is toxic even at low concentrations and hence its contamination in the environment is a pervasive concern. The electrochemical techniques have emerged as rosy method to sense and degrade NB and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) catalysts are found to be promising for this. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-decorated n-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine (EDAS)-modified graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites [EDAS/(g-C3N4-Ag)NC] having various silver concentrations are prepared through a facile method and applied for the electrochemical sensing of NB derivatives. UV–vis absorption edge at 430 nm together with a broad surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 450 nm indicates the existence of AgNPs on the g-C3N4 nanosheets. FTIR spectra endorse the presence of g-C3N4 nanosheets in the composite. The presence of Ag in EDAS/(g-C3N4-Ag)NC is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The nanocomposite prepared with 2 mM Ag+ shows superb electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of nitrobenzene and its derivatives. Sensitivity of the modified electrode and limit of detection (LOD) for NB assessed by square wave voltammetry are found to be 0.594 A M−1 cm−2 and 2 µM, respectively, in the linear range of 5–50 µM.
Highlights
Mutagenic and carcinogenic behavior of nitroaromatics can cause health issues in human being and it is necessary to detect and degrade nitroaromatic compounds for the sake of human safety and security [1, 2]
Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) experiments were conducted in a single compartment three electrode cell using a electrochemical workstation (CH Instruments, USA, Model 680) at 25°C, by employing modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) (CH instruments) as working electrode, Ag/AgCl electrode as reference electrode and Pt wire as counter electrode
The presence of g-C3N4 nanosheets in the nanocomposite is confirmed from the typical UV-vis absorption edge near 430 nm
Summary
Mutagenic and carcinogenic behavior of nitroaromatics can cause health issues in human being and it is necessary to detect and degrade nitroaromatic compounds for the sake of human safety and security [1, 2]. Various analytical techniques, such as, spectrophotometry [9, 10], gas chromatography [11], capillary electrophoresis [12] and high performance liquid chromatography [13] has been carried out for the determination of nitroaromatics Owing to their high sensitivity, selectivity, simplicity and low-cost instrumentation, electrochemical-techniques based sensors are found to be promising for the detection of nitroaromatics [14,15,16]. Another advantage of employing electrochemical technique is that the electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene generates less toxic compounds, such as, aniline, phenylhydroxylamine, azoxybenzene, azobenzene and nitrosobenzene [17]. The electrochemical performances of the nanocomposites toward the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene and nitrobenzene derivatives have been investigated through cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) techniques
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
