Synthesis of SnO2 nanowires as a reusable and flexible electrode for electrochemical detection of riboflavin

Abstract

The fabrication and testing of a riboflavin (RF) sensor based on the use of tin oxide (SnO2) nanowires was successfully attained. Template directed electrodeposition was used to produce one-dimensional nanostructures of SnO2. SnO2 nanowires were achieved by the electrodeposition of tin(ii) chloride into the nanochannels of the porous polycarbonate membrane by applying potential of −0.75 V. Various techniques such as XRD, FESEM, EDS and FTIR were used to characterize the synthesized nanowires. All electrochemical studies were carried out in phosphate buffer pH 7.0 and 0.1 Vs−1 scan rate. The fabricated sensor showed excellent anti-interference ability against electroactive species and metal ions. It also proved its long-term stability and good reproducibility with RSD values 1.90% and 1.30% respectively. The voltammetric signal increases linearly in the 0–13 μM concentrations range with a lower detection limit of 0.6 µM. Rs and Rct values decreased significantly with increasing concentration. The synthesized electrode is proved to be useful for the estimation of the RF content in pharmaceutical samples with 98% recovery.