Sensitive Electrochemical Platform for Paracetamol Monitoring in Real Matrix via Supramolecular Calix[6]arene-CuO hybrid Nanocomposite

Abstract

Paracetamol is widely used analgesic and antipyretic which commonly employed to alleviate symptoms of cold and flu. It is effective in reducing pain and fever and is readily available as an over-the-counter medication. This study aims to report develop a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for the detection paracetamol on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface modified with para-hexa sulphonate calix[6]arene (p-HSC6) functionalized copper oxide nanoparticles (p-HSC6-CuO/GCE). Then, the nanocomposite was characterized using various techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The techniques showed that the p-HSC6-CuO nanocomposite was successfully synthesized. Also, the p-HSC6-CuO nanocomposite evaluated through electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The detection of paracetamol was performed by using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), where the p-HSC6-CuO/GCE sensor exhibited a linear concentration range from 0.5 to 105 µM and achieved a low detection limit of 0.0294 µM. The excellent selectivity, repeatability, and stability of developed sensor can be attributed to its enhanced electrochemical performance which arises from the effective surface modification achieved through the incorporation of p-HSC6-CuO supramolecular framework with nanostructures. Also, the proposed nanostructured materials can detect paracetamol in complicated real samples with good % recovery values in the presence of various interfering species.