Electrochemical Glyphosate Sensor Based on Hybrid Material SiO2/Sm2O3/Carbon Modified with Meldola Blue

In this work, we have proposed an electrochemical sensor for the detection of pesticides by using a ceramic composite with a SiO₂ surface modified with Sm₂O₃ nanoparticles and C-graphite (SSMG), obtained by the sol-gel process and immobilized by adsorption in Meldola Blue cationic dye (MB). The composite was called (SSMG/MB), which was characterized by spectroscopic, electrochemical techniques, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Cyclic Voltammetry. The proposed sensor was applied for the glyphosate electrochemical detection, using Differential Pulse Voltammetry, and, under optimized parameters has presented the linear response for the pesticide in the concentration range from 0.99 to 7.94 (μmol L⁻¹; R²=0.9963; n=8). The calculated values for the detection limit and the quantification limit were 0.15 and 0.49 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. Therefore, the new electrochemical sensor based on SiO₂, NPsSm₂O_3, C-graphite, and MB hybrid material was developed for the first time for glyphosate determination, which has demonstrated high potential for the development of new hybrid devices for environmental control.     

Gold nanoparticles on a thiol-functionalized silica network for ascorbic acid electrochemical detection in presence of dopamine and uric acid

A simple preparation methodology able to stabilize gold nanoparticles and to obtain an electrode which detects ascorbic acid, uric acid, and dopamine by different techniques is presented. A 3-mercaptopropyl-functionalized silica network was synthesized using the sol–gel method. Gold nanoparticles (nAu) were immobilized on the material at synthesis by adding a sol of these previously prepared particles to the reaction mixture. The electrochemical behavior of the SiO₂/MPTS/Au carbon paste electrode was studied using cyclic voltammetry in the presence of a hexacyanoferrate probe molecule. The presence of nAu in the functionalized silica network changes the electrochemical characteristics of the material, favoring the electron transfer process of this complex ion. The SiO₂/MPTS/Au electrode was proven to be an efficient tool in the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (H₂AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA) using square wave voltammetry techniques. With the nAu on the electrode, an increase in the peak current related to the redox process of the H₂AA, DA, and UA was observed. The separations of the anodic peak potentials between DA/H₂AA and UA/H₂AA were 310 and 442?mV, respectively. The results obtained show that the SiO₂/MPTS/Au electrode can be used in the simultaneous determination of H₂AA, DA, and UA.