Copper Nanowires Modified with Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Simultaneous Voltammetric Determination of Ascorbic Acid, Dopamine and Acetaminophen

Copper nanowires (Cu NWs) were modified with graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to obtain a sensor for simultaneous voltammetric determination of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and acetaminophen (AC). The nanocomposite was obtained via sonication, and its structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The electrochemical oxidation activity of the materials (placed on a glassy carbon electrode) was studied by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. Due to the synergistic effect of Cu NWs and GO, the specific surface, electrochemical oxidation performance and conductivity are improved when compared to each individual component. The peaks for AA (-0.08 V), DA (+0.16 V), and AC (+0.38 V) are well separated. The sensor has wide linear ranges which are from 1-60 μM, 1-100 μM, and 1-100 μM for AA, DA, and AC, respectively, when operated in the differential pulse voltammetric mode. The detection limits are 50, 410 and 40 nM, respectively. Potential interferences by uric acid (20 μM), glucose (10 mM), NaCl (1 mM), and KCl (1 mM) were tested for AA (1 μΜ), DA (1 μΜ), and AC (1 μΜ) and were found to be insignificant. The method was successfully applied to the quantification of AA, DA, and AC in spiked serum samples.