Sulfur-functionalized graphene obtained by a non-thermal plasma process for simultaneous electrochemical determination of tert-butylhydroquinone and bisphenol A

• Published in: Materials research bulletin Vol. 177; p. 112875
• Main Authors: da Silva, André Felipe F., Winiarski, João Paulo, Santana, Edson Roberto, Benetoli, Luís Otávio de Brito, Debacher, Nito Angelo, Vieira, Iolanda Cruz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Endocrine disrupting; Food additives; Functionalized graphene; Gold electrode; Sulfur-graphene; Gold electrode; Sulfur-graphene; Functionalized graphene; Food additives; Endocrine disrupting
• ISSN: 0025-5408; 1873-4227
• DOI: 10.1016/j.materresbull.2024.112875

•Sulfur-functionalized graphene (S-Graph) were prepared through non-thermal plasma process.•S-Graph is a novel hydrophilic graphene-based material with sulfur entities at the edge sheets.•Novel electrochemical method for simultaneous detection of TBHQ and BPA was developed.•The high affinity of gold electrode and S-Graph (strong Au−S covalent bound) made the sensor very stable.•Low-cost strategy for the quantification of BPA and TBHQ simultaneously. Electrochemical sensors based on graphene have proven to be powerful tools for detecting bisphenol A (BPA) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) individually. There are currently no reports of these analytes being detected simultaneously. By assembling graphene-based materials on gold surfaces, it is possible to improve the charge transfer of both analytes. This study utilized non-thermal plasma-assisted synthesis with a sulfur-containing precursor to functionalize graphene (S-Graph), resulting in the fabrication of an ultrasensitive electrochemical sensor that can detect both BPA and TBHQ, simultaneously. Compared with native graphene or a traditional surface of gold electrode, S-Graph/Au retained superior electrochemical activity for both analytes that showed significantly enhanced sensing performance, including a wide linear range, with a detection limit of 13 and 54 nmol L−1 for TBHQ and BPA, respectively. The enhanced long-term storage stability, as well as reproducibility showed that S-Graph is a promising strategy for promoting the application of novel graphene-based materials. [Display omitted]