Highly sensitive electrochemical detection of bisphenol A based on the cooperative enhancement effect of the graphene–Ni(OH)2 hybrid and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide

Abstract

Graphene sheets (GSs) are first easily prepared via one-step solvent exfoliation of graphite powder in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and then hybridized with Ni(OH)₂ microparticles. The resulting insoluble GS–Ni(OH)₂ hybrid is readily dispersed in water in the presence of surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Compared with the bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE), CTAB, pristine GS, Ni(OH)₂, and GS–Ni(OH)₂ composite modified GCEs show enhanced oxidation signal for bisphenol A (BPA). Based on the cooperative enhancement effect of the solvent-exfoliated graphene–Ni(OH)₂ hybrid and CTAB, a novel electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity is developed for the detection of BPA. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit (S/N = 3) is estimated to be as low as 5.0 nM. In the end, the fabricated electrochemical sensor is successfully used to determine the content of BPA in real water samples.