Palladium nanoparticles/wool keratin-assisted carbon composite-modified flexible and disposable electrochemical solid-state pH sensor

Several p H-dependent processes and reactions take place in the human body;hence,the p H of body fluids is the best indicator of disturbed health conditions.However,accurate and real-time diagnosis of the p H of body fluids is complicated because of limited commercially available p H sensors.Hence,we aimed to prepare a flexible,transparent,disposable,userfriendly,and economic strip-based solid-state p H sensor using palladium nanoparticles(Pd NPs)/N-doped carbon(NC)composite material.The Pd NPs/NC composite material was synthesized using wool keratin(WK)as a precursor.The insitu prepared Pd NPs played a key role in the controlled switching of protein structure to the N-doped carbon skeleton withπ–πarrangement at the mesoscale level,which mimics the A–B type polymeric structure,and hence,is highly susceptible to H+ions.The optimized carbonization condition in the presence of Pd NPs showed that the material obtained using a modified Ag/Ag Cl reference electrode had the highest p H sensitivity with excellent stability and durability.The optimized p H sensor showed high specificity and selectivity with a sensitivity of 55 m V/p H unit and a relative standard deviation of 0.79%.This study is the first to synthesize Pd NPs using WK as a stabilizing and reducing agent.The applicability of the sensor was investigated for biological samples,namely,saliva and gastric juices.The proposed protocol and material have implications in solid-state chemistry,where biological material will be the best choice for the synthesis of materials with anticipated performance.