A Zn-doped Fe3O4 nanoparticle@N, S and P doped Elaeagnus angustifolia gum derived carbon hybrid electrocatalyst: synthesis, characterization and electrochemical sensing of acetaminophen

Abstract

Over use or long term exposure of acetaminophen (APAP) could cause severe damage to human health. Currently APAP related events are still a global burden. Therefore, secure management of APAP is important for avoiding possible APAP induced incidents. Rapid sensing of APAP in human body fluids can help in the better monitoring of health conditions and providing information for necessary medical aid. Electrochemical sensors utilizing functional nanomaterials and nanostructures have been proved to be a facile tool for sensing APAP in human body fluids. Among various functional nanomaterials, transition element doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle decorated carbon materials have found extensive applications in the areas of catalysis, energy, environmental, etc. In order to explore the versatility of Zn doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles incorporated with a biomass carbon electrocatalyst in the electrochemical sensing area, we prepared a N, S and P doped biomass carbon material (NSP-BC) from the biomass of Elaeagnus angustifolia gum through a pyrolysis approach. Then, a facile one-pot polyol solvothermal synthesis method was adopted for deposition of Zn doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles onto the NSP-BC. Among the synthesized electrocatalysts, the electrocatalyst with a Zn/Fe ratio of 0.132 was found to show the highest I_pa response current towards the APAP molecule. The electrocatalysts were systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, element mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy and electrochemical analysis. The electrocatalyst modified glassy carbon electrode sensor achieved a wide linear sensing range of APAP from 2.5 to 500 μM covering the urinary physiological APAP concentration range with a limit of detection of 63.9 nM and a sensitivity of 0.64 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻². The electrocatalyst modified GCE sensor also exhibited satisfactory recovery rates of APAP in urine samples. This facile synthesized Zn-doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle@NSP-BC electrocatalyst has potential application in clinical diagnosis and pharmaceutical analysis.