Cerium-iron phosphate nano flower bifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient electrochemical detection and catalytic reduction of hazardous 4-nitrophenol

초록

Since 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) is a high-priority hazardous contaminant that can harm humans, animals, and plants, detecting and determining its presence in the environment is an issue of utmost importance. This study was focused on the electrochemical detection of 4-NP using a cerium-iron phosphate electrode modified on a glassy carbon electrode (CeFeP/GC). X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the formation of CeFeP. TEM analysis reveals that CeFeP formation is a flower-like morphology comprising several uniform rods. As synthesized, flower-like CeFeP catalyst was used for excellent bifunctional electrochemical detection and reduction of toxic 4NP. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were performed to analyze the stepwise electrode-modification process. The CeFeP/GC electrode displayed a higher cathodic current response at a low potential of 0.44 V for 4-NP detection. At optimized conditions, CeFeP/GC electrode showed a wide range sensitivity of 0.1-50 mu M with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01 mu M. Additionally, the CeFeP catalyst was employed for the catalytic degradation of 4-NP and exhibited excellent catalytic activity towards 4NP- reduction. The proposed catalyst completes the reduction reaction within 11 min. The proposed bifunctional electrocatalyst is a very useful, inexpensive, and novel sensor platform with considerable potential for environmental applications

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