Integrating graphene oxide with magnesium oxide nanoparticles for electrochemical detection of nitrobenzene

Accurate detection of highly toxic aromatic nitro compounds in the water medium is urgent for the protection of human health and eco system. In the present study, we report the graphene oxide/ magnesium oxide nanocomposite (GO/MgO-NC) has been proposed for electrochemical analysis of nitrobenzene (NBZ) in water samples. The GO/MgO-NC was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Likewise, the electrochemical behaviour of NBZ was investigated through cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The GO/MgO-NC electrode shows an excellent NBZ sensing properties compared to other electrodes. Under optimized conditions, the GO/MgO-NC/GCE can well measure the concentrations of NBZ in the range of 0.1–38.9 µM and 58.5–2333.5 µM with a low limit of detection of 0.01 µM. Besides, the GO/MgO-NC/GCE exhibits excellent selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility and stability. More importantly, the proposed GO/MgO-NC/GCE was further expanded to quantify NBZ in water samples with recoveries between 99.35–99.80%, providing an effective approach for the trace of NBZ in environmental medium.