Polyelectrolyte functionalized gold nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid for electrochemical determination of aminophenol isomers

A green chemical method for preparation of gold nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite is described. This can be readily accomplished through a two-step chemical reduction scheme by using poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), a cationic polyelectrolyte as a common reducer. Polyelectrolyte here also serves to stabilize gold nanoparticles and is beneficial to electrical communication, leading to the formation of well-characteristic nanohybrid. The prepared nanomaterial showed remarkable electrocatalytic ability as a result of the rational conjunction of graphene and gold nanoparticles, which was demonstrated by direct electrochemical determination of three aminophenol isomers on a modified glassy carbon electrode. Effective peak separation of three isomers was achieved due to the favorable electron-transfer network perfectly assembled on the electrode surface, thus enabling the simultaneous assay of multiple components featuring analogous chemical structure without chromatographic separation. The modified electrode was further used to detect para-aminophenol in paracetamol tablets. The present method is simple, eco-friendly and holds potential for electroanalytical and biosensing applications.