Sulfur-functionalized graphene obtained by a non-thermal plasma process for simultaneous electrochemical determination of tert-butylhydroquinone and bisphenol A

Abstract

Electrochemical sensors based on graphene have proven to be powerful tools for detecting bisphenol A (BPA) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) individually. There are currently no reports of these analytes being detected simultaneously. By assembling graphene-based materials on gold surfaces, it is possible to improve the charge transfer of both analytes. This study utilized non-thermal plasma-assisted synthesis with a sulfur-containing precursor to functionalize graphene (S-Graph), resulting in the fabrication of an ultrasensitive electrochemical sensor that can detect both BPA and TBHQ, simultaneously. Compared with native graphene or a traditional surface of gold electrode, S-Graph/Au retained superior electrochemical activity for both analytes that showed significantly enhanced sensing performance, including a wide linear range, with a detection limit of 13 and 54 nmol L−1 for TBHQ and BPA, respectively. The enhanced long-term storage stability, as well as reproducibility showed that S-Graph is a promising strategy for promoting the application of novel graphene-based materials.