Biomass-derived carbon decorated by gold nanoparticles as efficient methanol electrochemical sensor

Herein, we have demonstrated the successful combination of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and green carbon (GC) (biomass-derived) obtained from date seeds to detect methanol (MeOH) via a simple electrochemical approach. We have synthesized GC by pyrolysis method whereas AuNPs were deposited by the photochemical deposition technique. We have systematically characterized the Au@GC nanocomposite by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), FESEM, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. In comparison to a bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) or GC fabricated GCE, the newlyfabricated Au@GC nanocomposite modified GCE (Au@GC/GCE) has shown better performance in MeOH sensing. The proposed sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity (0.0143 mu AmM-1), a lower detection limit (LOD = 0.39 mM at S/N = 3), and a wide linear dynamic range (LDR = 1-80 mM). This Au@GC/GCE sensor also showed good operational stability, reproducibility, and repeatability in MeOH detection. The research findings indicated the potential application of the Au@GC nanocomposite as an electroactive material for effective electrochemical sensing of environmental pollutants.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated the successful combination of gold nanoparticles and green carbon for electrochemical sensing of methanol, showing improved performance and stability of the newly fabricated sensor.