One-step electrodeposition of graphene loaded nickel oxides nanoparticles for acetaminophen detection

• Graphene loaded nickel oxides nanoparticles in a compact way were constructed by one-step electrodeposition.
• The resulting composites showed high catalytic activity toward acetaminophen.
• The sensor was applied to determine acetaminophen in pharmaceutical tablets and urine samples.

An electrochemical sensor of acetaminophen (AP) based on electrochemically reduced graphene (ERG) loaded nickel oxides (Ni2O3–NiO) nanoparticles coated onto glassy carbon electrode (ERG/Ni2O3–NiO/GCE) was prepared by a one-step electrodeposition process. The as-prepared electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic properties of ERG/Ni2O3–NiO modified glassy carbon electrode toward the oxidation of acetaminophen were analyzed via cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The electrodes of Ni2O3–NiO/GCE, ERG/GCE, and Ni2O3–NiO deposited ERG/GCE were fabricated for the comparison and the catalytic mechanism understanding. The studies showed that the one-step prepared ERG/Ni2O3–NiO/GCE displayed the highest electro-catalytic activity, attributing to the synergetic effect derived from the unique composite structure and physical properties of nickel oxides nanoparticles and graphene. The low detection limit of 0.02 μM (S/N=3) with the wide linear detection range from 0.04 μM to 100 μM (R=0.998) was obtained. The resulting sensor was successfully used to detect acetaminophen in commercial pharmaceutical tablets and urine samples.