Sol-Gel Mediated Greener Synthesis of γ-Fe2O3 Nanostructures for the Selective and Sensitive Determination of Uric Acid and Dopamine

Abstract

Novel eco-freindly benign morphology-controlled biosynthesis of acicular iron oxide (γ-Fe2O3) nanostructures with various shapes and sizes have been synthesized through greener surfactant, Aloe vera (AV) extract assisted sol-gel method. By simply varying the experimental parameters, pure phase of cubic spinel superparamagnetic γ-Fe2O3 nanospherical aggregates, nanobelts and nanodots have been developed. The synthesized γ-Fe2O3 nanostructures are characterized through X-Ray Diffractommetry (XRD), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectrsocopy (FT-IR), Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). Moreover, the electrochemical determination of uric acid (UA) and dopamine (DA) of the as obtained γ-Fe2O3 nanostructures are systematically demonstrated. The electrochemical properties of the γ-Fe2O3 nanostructures modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) displayed an excellent sensing capability for the determination of DA and UA, simultaneously than the bare GCE. When compared with the other iron oxide nanostructures, γ-Fe2O3 nanobelts/GCE exhibited remarkable oxidation current response towards the biomolecules. This occurred due to the high surface area and the unique one-dimensional nanostructure of γ-Fe2O3 nanobelts. Ultimately, the greener synthesis protocol explored in this research work may also be expanded for the preparation of other morphology controlled magnetic and non-magnetic nanomaterials, which could easily open up innovative potential avenues for the development of practical biosensors.

Sensitive and selective electrochemical determination of uric acid in urine based on ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles decorated urchin-like nitrogen-doped carbon

“…And the additional Fe 0 /Fe 3+ active sites in the material surface can also form a redox pair, which was more conducive to the redox reaction on the electrode surface. In particular, the unique properties of the ultra-small iron oxide particles decorated on the UNC contribute to the high electrocatalytic activity towards UA and enhanced the electrochemical reaction compared to other reported sensors [44]. Fe x O y /UNC can detect UA to as low as 2 μM and as high as 200 μM.…”

Transition metal oxide based non‐enzymatic electrochemical sensors: An arising approach for the meticulous detection of neurotransmitter biomarkers

“…[58,59] The modification of electrodes with stable materials like metal nanoparticles or metal oxides that are selective for a particular analyte also results in the elimination of interference. [60]…”

Advances in Magnetic Nanoparticles Engineering for Biomedical Applications—A Review

“…In the last few decades, numerous bottom-up synthesis routes based on conventional batch processes have been developed, such as co-precipitation [28][29][30], sol-gel [31,32], ultrasonication [33], thermal decomposition [34,35], microemulsion [36,37] and microwave assisted synthesis [38,39], as well as top-down methods such as e.g., laser ablation and mechanical milling [40]. Because of the broad size and shape distribution of MNPs often produced by the top-down methods [41], bottom-up methods are preferable for medical applications.…”