A reduced graphene oxide-based electrochemical sensing and eco-friendly 4-nitrophenol degradation

The pollutant para-nitrophenol or 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is being deemed lethal because it slows down photosynthetic processes, is carcinogenic, and has other major negative impacts on aquatic as well as terrestrial life. In this study, a distinctive electrochemical sensor for measurement of the 4-Nitrophenol was incorporated by electrodepositing nanocomposite of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) on conductive fabric (CF). The morphological features of the prepared electrode (RGO/MnO2/CF) were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas the phase purity and formation of composite were authenticated via X-ray diffraction method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and elemental mapping were also employed to analyze the morphology and elemental composition of the composite. Analysis and comparison were done on the electrochemical characteristics of 4-Nitrophenol on RGO/MnO2/CF. The electrochemical studies involved the pH study, cyclic voltammetry analysis at the rate of 0.05 Vs(-1), scan rate study, and incubation time study which were done to examine the behavior and kinetics of the synthesized electrodes. The fabricated RGO/MnO2/CF electrode was found to have clearly defined redox peak currents towards 4-Nitrophenol. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 55.9 mu M and 169.3 mu M was calculated for optimal circumstances where the reduction peak current fluctuates linearly with a concentration of 4-Nitrophenol. Additionally, the as-fabricated sensor maintained >99.9 % of its original signal even after 5 weeks of storage, proving its good stability, significant specificity, and reproducibility. As a result, the suggested technique offers an outstanding framework for the simple and reliable sensing of 4-Nitrophenol. In addition, RGO and the optimal amount of NaBH4 were added to study the degradation of 4-NP. The degradation was analyzed by taking the absorbance of the sample after an interval of 5 min. The findings demonstrate that 4-NP is effectively degraded by the RGO.