An electrochemical sensor based on Fe2O3 quantum dot-decorated Co3O4 nanowires for cannabis detection in food

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Vol. 130; no. 10
• Main Authors: Jasmin, Alladin, Traiwatcharanon, Pranlekha, Kondee, Sarawut, Chin, Siew Xian, Wongchoosuk, Chatchawal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Cannabidiol; Cannabis; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical sensors; Cobalt oxides; Condensed Matter Physics; Electron microscopy; Electrons; Food; Heterostructures; Machines; Manufacturing; Microscopy; Nanotechnology; Nanowires; Optical and Electronic Materials; Photoelectrons; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Quantum dots; Semiconductor crystals; Sensors; Spectroscopic analysis; Spectrum analysis; Stochastic processes; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Voltammetry; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Nanowire; Cannabidiol; Quantum dot; Cannabis; Electrochemical sensor
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-024-07927-4

There is increasing interest in the use of cannabidiol (CBD) as a potential therapeutic for alleviating chronic pain in cancer patients. Reliable determination of CBD content tailored to individual patients is essential for effective administration. Additionally, there is a growing need for rapid and portable detection methods for food products containing trace amounts of cannabis-derived compounds. Electrochemical technique offer a promising approach for fast and straightforward analytical identification of compounds like CBD. This study presents the fabrication of electrochemical sensor utilizing Fe 2 O 3 quantum dots (QDs) – Co 3 O 4 nanowires (NWs) as a sensing layer in a modified silver electrode. Chemical and structural analyses including energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the excellent decoration of Fe 2 O 3 QDs on the Co 3 O 4 NW surfaces. The Fe 2 O 3 QDs-Co 3 O 4 NWs exhibit electrochemical activity based on cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurements. The sensor demonstrates a sensitivity of 1.21 mA•mM⁻¹•mm⁻¹ with strong linearity over the range of 0.02–0.1 mM (R 2  = 0.9991) and a low detection limit of 0.67 µM. The enhanced electrochemical response of the Fe 2 O 3  QDs-Co 3 O 4 NWs sensing layer is attributed to the increased number of active sites resulting from the heterostructure formed by the two semiconductor crystals. A charge-transfer mechanism driven by stochastic processes is proposed to explain the electrochemical sensing behavior. Graphical Abstract