A Zirconia-Nanoparticles-Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for Voltammetric Determination of Ibuprofen

Zirconia-modified carbon paste electrode (ZrO2/CPE) was prepared, characterized, and applied for efficient ibuprofen quantification by differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry. The increased surface area of the modified electrode (up to 74 %), combined with the excellent zirconia adsorption performance allowed a 36 % signal increase to be achieved compared to bare CPE. Under optimized experimental conditions (69 : 1 w % graphite to ZrO2 ratio, 5 min accumulation time, pH 4.5) the ZrO2/CPE exhibited a linear response to ibuprofen in the range from 20 mu mol L-1 to 250 mu mol L-1. The LOD of 4 mu mol L-1 (S/N=3) attained was found to be sufficient to perform ibuprofen analysis in pharmaceutical formulations. The results were validated by ibuprofen determination in commercial tablets with satisfactory recovery values (98.8-102 %). The presence of common pharmaceutical excipients did not affect the ibuprofen voltammetric response. The proposed sensor also demonstrated good reproducibility (RSD=2.84 %) and long term stability.

Automated summary

Zirconia-modified carbon paste electrode was prepared and applied for efficient ibuprofen quantification by differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry. The modified electrode showed increased surface area and excellent adsorption performance, resulting in a significant signal increase compared to the bare electrode. Under optimized conditions, the modified electrode exhibited a linear response to ibuprofen in the range from 20 mu mol L-1 to 250 mu mol L-1.