Electrochemical sensor for the facile detection of trace amounts of bisphenol A based on cyclodextrin-functionalized graphene/platinum nanoparticles

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important and widely used industrial chemical that is harmful to both the environment and human health. Graphene/platinum nanoparticles (Gr/PtNPs) functionalized with heptakis-(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TM-β-CD) were successfully synthesized using a simple wet chemistry strategy. The new nanocomposite had both the excellent properties of the Gr/PtNPs (large surface area, high conductivity and excellent electrocatalytic activity) and the cyclodextrin (host–guest supramolecular recognition and enrichment capability). It had a remarkable synergistic effect on the electrochemical reaction of BPA and a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor was developed to detect BPA. The oxidation peak current of BPA was greatly enhanced at the TM-β-CD-Gr/PtNPs modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) compared with the Gr/PtNPs/GCE and the TM-β-CD-Gr/GCE. Under the optimum condition, the peak current for BPA increased linearly with concentration in the range 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 8.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The detection limit was 1.5 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). This sensor is cost-effective and convenient and shows great potential for the detection of trace amounts of phenol compounds in environmental pollutants.