Neodymium(III) Vanadate-Decorated Functionalized Carbon Nanofiber Nanocomposite: An Electrochemical Tool for Tartrazine Monitoring

Human health is adversely affected by the excessive consumption of substances such as food colorants, exposure to metal ion dosages, antibiotic residues, and pesticide residues above the maximum tolerated levels. Among them, the synthetic food dye tartrazine (TRZ), widely used in various foods, is harmful to human health because of its pathogenicity and toxicity. Neodymium vanadate (NdVO4) nanoparticles embedded in functionalized carbon nanofiber (F-CNF)-modified electrodes serve as sensitive electrodes for TRZ detection. Neodymium is a rare-earth metal with a significant advantage over other rare-earth metals in electrochemical redox reactions. Furthermore, fast electron mobility for well-defined current potentials and well-separated peaks suggests that NdVO4 has an increased active surface area. The modified NdVO4@F-CNF/GCE exhibits a smaller semicircle value Rct = 20.1 Ω·cm2 and a lower cyclic voltammetry peak-to-peak separation of ΔEp = 98 mV in the redox probe. The NdVO4@F-CNF-modified GCE exhibited a higher current response of Ipa = 17.05 μA at a peak potential of Epa = 0.69 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The nanocomposite is therefore chosen as an astounding detecting candidate due to the addition of F-CNF, which exhibits a significant improvement in electronic conductivity. Under optimal conditions, the sensor has a low detection limit (0.0011 μM) with a linear response of the 0.05–271.6 μM concentration range of TRZ. NdVO4@F-CNF was used to investigate the electrochemical sensing of TRZ in orange juice and orange jelly samples.