Green one-pot synthesis of flowers-like Fe3O4/rGO hybrid nanocomposites for effective electrochemical detection of riboflavin and low-cost supercapacitor applications

Energy and sensors are playing key role in deciding the sophistication and healthy life of mankind and the materials decides the economy. Hence, the present study developed a novel one-pot environmentally friendly facile nanoarchitecturing biosurfactant synthesis strategy for flower like Fe3O4 anchored reduced graphene oxide (Fe3O4/rGO) sheets concurrently with improved physico-chemical properties for supercapacitors and sensor applications. The flower-like Fe3O4/rGO hybrid nanocomposites are composed of Fe3O4 nanopetals (average size is 33.2 nm in diameter) connected at the center and anchored in rGO nanosheets. XPS of Fe3O4 exhibits mixed FeO and Fe2O3 corroborated with XRD analysis. The Fe3O4/rGO provides good micro-environment for convenient conjugation of biomolecules and exhibited improved riboflavin (RF) detection with 89 nM detection limit with excellent anti-interference ability, good reproducibility and stability. Additionally, Fe3O4/rGO nanocomposites showed superior specific capacitance (425 F/g at 1.5 A/g current density) than bare Fe3O4 nanoflowers and rGO sheets. Moreover, 100% capacitance retention was observed even after 750 cycles at 3 A/g. These excellent performances are correlated to the increased electrode surface area, diffusion controlled electron transfer kinetic and highly stable matrix of Fe3O4/rGO with unique flower-like structure. Thus, the facile green synthesized Fe3O4/rGO nanocomposite is a promising electrode material for sensors and energy storage applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.