Synergies of WO3 and Co3O4 intercalated ball milling exfoliated graphene 3D helix electrocatalyst: A highly sensitive electrochemical detection of mesotrione herbicide in vegetable samples

Abstract

In the booming global population, monitoring of mesotrione (MTN) like agricultural pollutants is crucial for human safety. Herein, the research reports the synthesis of tungsten trioxide (WO3) and cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanostructures intercalated ball milling exfoliated graphene (WO3/Co3O4/graphene) 3D helix electrocatalyst for the electrochemical detection of MTN herbicide. The proposed WO3/Co3O4/graphene sensor material achieved a wide range of MTN detection from 0.001 µM to 1885 µM. In addition, the estimated limit of sensing and sensitivity values are 0.42 nM and 0.802 µAµM−1 cm−2 respectively. The real sample experiment was accomplished in MTN-added vegetables (corn, sugar cane, tomato, green soybean) and environmental samples (sewage water, river water). At most, the recorded minimum MTN response recovery in vegetables and water samples is about 95% and 98% respectively. Furthermore, the designed sensor electrode achieved storage stability of 98.7% after three weeks.