Nano CuO: Electrochemical sensor for the determination of paracetamol and D-glucose

A green combustion method using Aloe vera latex as a fuel was employed to synthesize nanocrystalline cupric oxide (CuO). The nanocrystalline nature and phase of CuO was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction. Applying the Kubellca-Monk function to diffuse reflectance spectra showed the band gap of CuO to be 1.632 eV. Paracetamol and D-glucose in 1 M KOH solution were sensed using a carbon paste electrode modified using CuO nanoparticles (NPs). The cyclic voltammetry results suggest that CuO NPs possess superior electrochemical properties due to a lower value of the difference between oxidation and reduction potential (E-O-E-R). The proton diffusion coefficient for CuO electrode material was1.5047 x 10(-5)cm(2)s(-1). Electrochemical impedance and Bode studies confirmed that the charge-transfer resistance value of CuO NPs was on the lower side due to the phase angle (55 degrees) being near to phi = pi/2. The electrochemical behavior indicates that CuO is a promising electrode material for sensing molecules such as paracetamol and glucose.