Zn@ZrO2 nanoparticles decorated on naringin-based sensor for electrochemical detection of p-nitrophenol and o-nitrophenol

Abstract

The development of modest and accurate electrochemical sensors for organic waste in water systems is of the highest priority. This study describes a method for synthesizing a Zn@ZrO₂ nanoparticle decorated naringin (NG) nanocomposite (Zn@ZrO₂/NG). Several techniques, such as XRD, FTIR, XPS, HR-SEM, EDX and HR-TEM, were used to investigate the morphology, structure and molecular properties of the Zn@ZrO₂/NG nanocomposite. The electrochemical properties of Zn@ZrO₂/NG were investigated using CV and DPV. The proposed sensor displayed strong linearity for p-nitrophenol (PNP) and o-nitrophenol (ONP) from 1 μM to 500 μM, with LOD of 1.14 μM and 1.03 μM, and sensitivity of 5.055 and 3.385 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻², respectively. In addition, the fabricated sensor possesses good sensitivity, great reproducibility, and high stability for the detection of PNP and ONP. The enhanced sensitivity of the sensor towards the detection of PNP and ONP could pave way for the detection of PNP and ONP in real samples.