Spherical silver oxide nanoparticles for fabrication of electrochemical sensor for efficient 4-Nitrotoluene detection and assessment of their antimicrobial activity

This research article reports an economic and affordable microwave-assisted synthesis of spherical silver oxide nanoparticles (Ag2O NPs) (80-90 nm) for an efficient electrochemical sensing of a hazardous organic pollutant 4-nitrotoluene (4-NT). Such well-characterized Ag2O NPs were utilized to modify gold (Au) electrode in order to fabricate Ag2O-NPs/Au sensor to detect 4-NT using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) techniques. Ag2O-NPs/Au sensor exhibited a distinguished electrical response as a function of varying 4-NT concentration in neutral medium samples. Ag2O-NPs/Au sensor demonstrated an ultrahigh sensitivity as 15.33 mu A (mu M)(-1) cm(-2), a low detection limit of 62.3 nM, and linear response in detection ranges of 0.6-5.9 mu M and 37-175 mu M. The sensing performance of fabricated Ag2O-NPs/Au sensor is reproducible, reusable, selective in presence of other chemical species, and validated using real samples. The Ag2O/Au sensor had much rapid and easy fabrication process and offered much lower 1.01) for 4-NT detection than many previously reported sensors. Along with efficient electrochemical activity, the spherical Ag2O NPs also exhibit remarkable antimicrobial activity against harmful gram negative Escherichia con (E. coli) and gram positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. Herein projected efficient Ag2O-NPs/Au electrochemical sensor for 4-NT is affordable with the capability of scaling up to perform pointof-care 4-NT testing needed for successful environmental monitoring and water quality assurance.

Automated summary

This research article presents an economic and efficient Ag2O-NPs/Au sensor for detecting hazardous organic pollutant 4-nitrotoluene, exhibiting high sensitivity and linear response to various concentrations of 4-NT in neutral samples, with validation using real samples. The sensor offers rapid fabrication process, low detection limit, selectivity in the presence of other chemicals, and antimicrobial activity against harmful bacteria, making it suitable for point-of-care 4-NT testing in environmental monitoring and water quality assurance.