Electrochemical Determination of Nitrite by Au Nanoparticle/Graphene-Chitosan Modified Electrode

A highly sensitive nitrite (NO2-) electrochemical sensor is fabricated using glassy carbon electrode modified with Au nanoparticle and grapheme oxide. Briefly, this electrochemical sensor was prepared by drop-coating graphene oxide-chitosan mixed film on the surface of the electrode and then electrodepositing a layer of Au nanoparticle using cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical behavior of NO2- on the sensor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and amperometric i-t curve. The results showed that the sensor exhibited better electrocatalytic activity for NO2- in 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (pH 5.0). The oxidation peak current was positively correlated with NO2- concentration in the ranges of 0.9 mu M to 18.9 mu M. The detection limit was estimated to be 0.3 mu M. In addition, the interference of some common ions (e.g., NO3-, CO32-, SO42-, Cl-, Ca2+ and Mg2+) and oxidizable compound including sodium sulfite and ascorbic acid in the detection of nitrite was also studied. The results show that this sensor is more sensitive and selective to NO2-. Therefore, this electrochemical sensor provided an effective tool for the detection of NO2-.