Direct simultaneous electrochemical determination of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) has been presented using a nanoscale copper hydroxide carbon ionic liquid composite electrode. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the simultaneous determination of these two biologically important compounds based on their direct electrochemical oxidation. Incorporation of copper(II) hydroxide nanostructures in the composite electrode results in complexation of Cu(II) with the thiol group of GSH and leads to a significant decrease in GSH oxidation overpotential, while an anodic peak corresponding to the direct oxidation of GSSG as the product of GSH oxidation is observed at higher overvoltages. Low detection limits of 30 nM for GSH and 15 nM for GSSG were achieved based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The proposed method is free from interference of cysteine, homocysteine, ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA). No electrode surface fouling was observed during successive scans. Stability, high sensitivity, and low detection limits made the proposed electrode applicable for the analysis of biological fluids.

An easy and cost effective route for mass production of graphene nanosheets (GNSs) is an essential requirement for design of different sensors, conductive composites and future nanoelectronic devices. Scalable and large area GNSs were synthesized by a thermal treatment of a graphite-ionic liquid crystal composite as a starting material. This composite was heated in a furnace with a flow of argon gas at 700 C for 1 h. Intercalation of ionic liquid crystals between graphite layers, their decomposition and evolution of gases assist in exfoliation of graphite and separation of layers. The proposed method extends the scope for production of high-quality, high-yield, unoxidized and defects free GNSs for a wide range of applications. The ability to produce bulk GNSs from a graphitic precursor with an easy and relatively low-cost approach can propel us to real-world applications of GNSs.

Ultra-thin and large gold nanosheets were easily synthesized by using a deep eutectic solvent as a reducing and directing agent with gum arabic as a stabilizer and shape-controlling agent through a seed-less protocol.

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