Ruthenium oxide nanoparticles immobilized over Citrus limetta waste derived carbon material for electrochemical detection of hexestrol

Abstract

Hexestrol is a non-steroidal estrogen which causes carcinogenic effects in animals. It is therefore important to develop sensitive and selective test methods for its early detection. Herein, we report the development of an electrochemical sensor to detect hexestrol in ultralow concentrations. In order to devise a simple and cost-effective hexestrol sensing electrode, attention is paid to the development of biomass-derived porous carbon (PCB) with large surface area and suitable porosity to immobilize ruthenium oxide nanoparticles (RuO₂ NPs, 3–4 nm). The leftover Citrus limetta pulp is chosen as waste biomass since it has N and O based chemical species. Structural, morphological and compositional analysis of PCB and RuO₂@PCB revealed well-dispersed RuO₂ NPs over the PCB surface. High loading (5.27 at%) of Ru content is achieved due to the large surface area of PCB. Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry results suggest that the RuO₂@PCB/ITO electrode is capable of detecting hexestrol concentration (in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁷–2 × 10⁻⁵ M). The practical application of hexestrol detection in milk samples demonstrates the recovery from 96.28 to 101%.