Sonochemical synthesis of silver nanoparticles anchored reduced graphene oxide nanosheets for selective and sensitive detection of glutathione

Developed here an eco-friendly, one-pot approach toward rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles anchored reduced graphene oxide (AgNPs(TMSPED)-rGO) nanosheets via sonochemical irradiation method, using an aqueous solution mixture of GO and AgNO3 in the presence of N-[3(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] ethylenediamine (TMSPED) without any reducing agent. As synthesized decorated nanosheets was thoroughly characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Pristine AgNPs(TMSPED), pristine rGO(TMSPED) and as prepared AgNPs(TMSPED)-rGO materials were employed to modify the glassy carbon (GC) electrode and demonstrated its excellent electrocatalytic activities towards glutathione (GSH). Voltammetry and amperometry measurements were utilized to assess the electrochemical properties towards the glutathione detection. When the Ag nanoparticles were anchored onto the rGO surface, the observed results illustrated that the electrocatalytic properties of rGO might be enhanced. The resulting sensor exhibits excellent repeatability and long-term stability. Furthermore, AgNPs(TMSPED)-rGO/GC electrode able to be employed for the selective determination of GSH in amperometric analysis in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA) and glucose. Finally, this modified electrode was effectively applied to determine glutathione in real samples with good recoveries.