Oxidized g-C3N4 decorated with Cu–Al layered double hydroxide as a sustainable electrochemical sensing material for quantification of diclofenac

Herein, oxidized graphitic carbon nitride (oxidized g-C3N4) and copper-aluminium layered double hydroxide (CuAl-LDH) have been coupled together to design an oxidized g-C3N4/CuAl-LDH nanocomposite. The morphological studies of the successfully prepared oxidized g-C3N4/CuAl-LDH nanocomposite through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have shown that LDH nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed on the flaky sheets of oxidized g-C3N4. Further, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the presence of C, N, O, Cu and Al elements as well as their valence state in the synthesized nanocomposite. In addition, the newly synthesized oxidized g-C3N4/CuAl-LDH nanocomposite has been employed as an electrode modifying material for the reliable and selective quantification of diclofenac sodium (DS). Using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique, the linear concentration range was 0.5–60 μM with a detection limit of 0.38 μM for DS. The designed sensor achieved acceptable electrochemical detection performance in relation to stability, repeatability, selectivity, and LOD. Furthermore, the prepared sensor was effectively used for the qualitative and quantitative detection of DS in pharmaceutical and biological samples. These observations proved that the as-prepared oxidized g-C3N4/CuAl-LDH nanocomposite has a great impact on the fabrication of low-cost and efficient electrodes for electrochemical sensing of DS.