Hierarchical nanoarchitecture of zirconium phosphate/graphene oxide: Robust electrochemical platform for detection of fenitrothion

We report the rational design of nanocomposite with zirconium phosphate encapsulated on graphene oxide (ZrP/ GO) for the highly sensitive and selective analysis of fenitrothion (FT). The characteristics of ZrP/GO nanocomposite are systematically analyzed by various in-depth electron microscopic, spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The ZrP/GO nanocomposite modified electrodes show better electrochemical response towards FT than other electrodes. The improved electrochemical activity of nanocomposite is attributed to large surface area, high conductivity, numerous active surface sites, GO nanosheets served as the conductivity matrix while preventing ZrP from agglomeration and the synergistic effect of ZrP and GO. Benefitting from the unique features, our fabricated sensor exhibits the superior performance in terms of wide working range (0.008?26 ?M), appropriate peak potential (?0.61 V), low limit of detection (0.001 ?M), high sensitivity (6 ?A ?M-1 cm-2) with the regression coefficient of 0.999. Additionally, the electrochemical sensor also displays good selectivity, excellent stability (99.6%), reproducibility (4.9%) and reusability (6.1%). The practical applicability of ZrP/GO sensor is shown by performing the detection of FT in water samples. These results clearly suggest that the ZrP/GO nanocomposite is an efficient electrode material for the future real-time environmental monitoring of FT.

Automated summary

The nanocomposite of graphene oxide encapsulated with zirconium phosphate (ZrP/GO) was designed for the highly sensitive and selective analysis of fenitrothion (FT). The ZrP/GO nanocomposite modified electrodes exhibited improved electrochemical response towards FT, attributed to its large surface area, high conductivity, numerous active surface sites, and the synergistic effect of ZrP and GO. The sensor showed wide working range, low limit of detection, high sensitivity, good selectivity, stability, reproducibility, and reusability, making it an efficient electrode material for real-time environmental monitoring of FT.