Modification of carbon based electrodes for the electrochemical sensing of phenolic pollutants

Abstract

Due to the strong correlation between pollution in the environment, socioeconomic newlinewellness, and human health, environmental monitoring pertaining to numerous pollutants is a global cause of concern. Electrochemical sensors that are highly selective, economical, and sensitive have been developed to effectively detect ecotoxic phenolic pollutants that pose a threat to the environment, such as metol, pnonylphenol, resorcinol, and bisphenol A. Facile electrochemical synthesis strategies newlinehave been adopted for the successful surface modification of the bare carbon fiber paper (CFP) substrate by exploring the physicochemical characteristics of metalorganic frameworks (MOFs) and conducting polymer (CP). A highly selective laccase newlineenzyme has been used to identify organic phenols from environmentally polluted water newlinesamples. Surface characteristics of the modified electrodes was studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), XRay Diffraction pattern (XRD), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Optical Profilometry. The electrochemical activity and charge transfer resistance associated with the developed electrodes was scrutinized with the electrochemical characterization technique. Nyquist plots demonstrated the lowest charge transfer resistance for the modified working electrodes in comparison to the bare. Optimization of the experimental conditions such as pH, electrolyte, and scan rate enabled to comprehend the mechanism of the reaction between the electrode surface and analyte. Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) was used to quantify the analytes by the generation of a calibration graph. The designed sensors were successfully used to newlineanalyze phenolic compounds in various contaminated water samples.