Gadolinium Oxide Nanorods Anchored on g-C3N4 Nanosheets for Dual-Mode Electrochemical Determination of Clioquinol in Real-Time Analysis

We present an inexpensive fabrication method in preparing one-dimensional gadolinium oxide (GdO) nanorods through hydrothermal synthesis and graphitic carbon nitride-g-C3N4, by a rapid calcination process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of GdO nanorods displayed a cubic crystal phase with an average crystalline size of 5-6.2 nm. Through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy micrographs, GdO exhibited a diameter of similar to 20 nm. The GdO nanorods/g-C3N4 nanocomposite was analyzed using XRD, Fourier transmission-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy with elemental mapping, and energydispersive X-ray spectrometry. The GdO/g-C3N4 nanocomposite was fabricated on a screenprinted carbon paste electrode for the electrochemical determination of clioquinol, which demonstrated rapid electron and ion transfer. The sensor was studied for its dual-modality detection using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometry (i-t) techniques, which showed a wide detection range for DPV from 0.099 to 448.30 mu M and i-t from 0.008 to 78.7 mu M, and the lateral limit of detection for DPV was 4.8 nM and i-t was 1.2 nM with ultralow sensitivity for DPV of 16.39 mu A mu M-1 cm(-2) and i-t of 15.6 mu A mu M-1 cm(-1) (S/N = 3). The prepared electrochemical sensor exhibited stability, selectivity, and sensitivity, which were markedly reported by DPV and i-t tests, and its use was further studied in real-time analysis using pharmaceutical and biological samples.

Automated summary

This study presents an affordable method for preparing one-dimensional gadolinium oxide nanorods and explores their application in electrochemical sensors. The results show that the sensor exhibits stability, selectivity, and high sensitivity.