Development of constructed nanoporous graphene-modified electrode for electrical detection of folic acid

In the present study, nanoporous graphene based amperometric detection of folic acid using nanoporous graphene modified electrode was carried out. The preparation of nanoporous graphene, in otherwords reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was done via fast reduction of chemically prepared graphene oxide in an acidic solution using an (Mg/Zn) bimetal strips. Structural, morphological and chemical characteristics of the prepared RGO (Mg/Zn) were determined using Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The successful formation of the RGO was corroborated using FT-IR and XPS results, which showed significant reduction in the oxygen functionalities. The prepared nanoporous graphene was used for the preparation of constructed modified electrode (CME), which subsequently used for electrochemical sensing of folic acid analyte. Owing to its excellent electrocatalytic activity, CME showed enhanced electrochemical response in the neutral solution of folic acid analyte, when compared to the conventional electrodes. From the differential pulse voltammetry, the peak current (0.75 V) for the folic acid analyte in CME electrode was observed to be linear and concentration range of 0.902–8.52 μM with the lower detection limit of 0.025 μM (S/N = 3). The prepared sensor was successfully implemented for real samples with tolerable limits.