Electrospun zirconia-embedded carbon nanofibre for high-sensitive determination of methyl parathion

Carbon nanofibers embedded with ultrafine zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO₂-CNFs) are fabricated via a new methodology. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) binary polymers containing zirconium n-butoxide are first dissolved in dimethylformamide, and the resulting solution is electrospun and heat-treated. The tetragonal zirconia nanoparticles formed, with a size of 5 ± 2 nm in diameter, are uniformly distributed in the carbon nanofibres. Using Nafion as an additive, ZrO₂-CNFs are drop-cast onto the glassy carbon electrode (ZrO₂-CNF/GCE) and the modified electrode is then applied to detect methyl parathion (MP) using differential pulse voltammetry. Two linear relationships are found at the concentration ranges of 1 × 10^? 9–2 × 10^? 8 g/L and 2 × 10^? 8–2 × 10^? 7 g/L, with a detection limit of 3.4 × 10^? 10 g/L (S/N > 3). The electrospun-based ZrO₂-CNF is a very promising coating material for electrochemical sensing of organophosphorus compounds.