Flower-Like ZnO-Decorated Polyaniline-Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite for Electrochemical Oxidation of Imidacloprid: A Hybrid Nanocomposite Sensor

A surfactant-based soft-template method has been used to synthesize flower-like zinc oxide-polyaniline-graphene oxide (ZnO-PANI-GO) hybrid nanocomposites. Mineralization of an agricultural organic pollutant, viz. imidacloprid (Imd), in aqueous environment is investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) using a glassy carbon (GCE) modified with ZnO-PANI-GO hybrid nanocomposite as working electrode. CV of the modified ZnO-PANI-GO/GCE hybrid nanocomposite electrode in the presence of Imd in acetate buffer (pH 5.8) revealed an oxidation potential of 0.36 V. The linear range of detection was evaluated using Imd concentrations from 1.25 x 10(-7) M to 2.12 x 10(-6) M. Limits of detection and quantification of 1.3 x 10(-8) M and 1.3 x 10(-7) M were calculated, being the lowest reported to date compared with other techniques using nano/nanocomposite materials as probe or modified electrodes. These results suggest that hybrid nanocomposites can be cost-effective materials for detection of Imd pesticide residue. Recovery testing using various samples exhibited 100% recovery.