Electrochemical determination of estradiol using a thin film containing reduced graphene oxide and dihexadecylphosphate

•A novel pretreatment to obtain graphene oxide (GO) is reported.•The RGO–DHP/GCE was obtained by casting on classy carbon electrode.•The RGO–DHP/GCE exhibits good analytical performance for the determination of estradiol.

Graphene is a material that has attracted attention with regard to sensing and biosensing applications in recent years. Here, we report a novel treatment (using ultrasonic bath and ultrasonic tip) to obtain graphene oxide (GO) and a new stable conducting film using reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and dihexadecylphosphate film (DHP). The GO was obtained by chemical exfoliation and it was reduced using NaBH4. Subsequently, RGO–DHP dispersion was prepared and it was dropped onto a glassy carbon electrode by casting technique. The electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical spectroscopy impedance. The voltammetric behavior of the RGO–DHP/GC electrode in the presence of estradiol was studied, and the results reported an irreversible oxidation peak current at 0.6 V. Under the optimal experimental conditions, using linear sweep adsorptive stripping voltammetry, the detection limit obtained for this hormone was 7.7 × 10−8  mol L−1 . The proposed electrode can be attractive for applications as electrochemical sensors and biosensors.

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