Efficient detection and validation of 4-Methoxyphenol chemical based on binary oxides intercalated ZnO-CdO nanocomposite by electrochemical approach

Abstract

In this approach, nanoscale binary doped materials was prepared by solid state method as Zinc oxide intercalated Cadmium oxide nanocomposites (ZnO-CdO NCs) and then practically implemented for the validation and electrochemical analyses using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltametric (CV) methods. Out of all the substances that were causing interferences, the constructed sensor probe showed selectivity towards 4-methoxyphenol (4-MP) due to the molecular interaction onto the intercalated surfaces of ZnO-CdO NCs. The chemical sensor exhibited enhanced electrochemical characteristics, such as higher sensitivity, a wide linear dynamic range (LDR), lower limit of detection (LOD), and good stability in detecting the specific compound 4-MP. For their optical, elemental, functional, morphological, and structural properties, the calcined ZnO-CdO NCs were analyzed using FTIR, UV, FESEM, EDS, XPS, TEM, and XRD techniques, respectively. In sensor fabrication, a flat GCE was constructed by applying a thin layer of NCs using a 5 % Nafion binder as a chemical coating agent. The calibration graph exhibited a linear relationship with a high coefficient of determination (r² = 0.9680) throughout a broad range of 4-MP concentrations (0.22–7.5 µM). The sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD) were determined to be 1.5189 μAmM⁻¹ cm⁻² and 0.01091 µM respectively. The synthesis of ZnO-CdO NCs by solid-state method is a promising approach for developing a phenolic sensor in a broad scale by electrochemical approach. The 4-MP sensor has demonstrated a promising performance using ZnO-CdO NCs by LSV and CV methods. This significantly impacts the identification of hazardous phenolic chemicals by electrochemical methods in the environmental and healthcare sectors, hence ensuring safety.