Crafting a Graphite Electrode with Embedded Y2O3 Nanoparticles for the Electrochemical Detection of Amaranth in Candies

The current study throws light on the development of an Yttrium Oxide nanoparticle-ingrained Graphite Paste Electrode (Y ₂ O ₃ @GP) serving as an efficient, pocket-friendly sensor for detecting Amaranth (AMR) electrochemically. Y ₂ O ₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple sol-gel method, using a solution of Y ₂ O ₃ using a capping agent named Poly-ethylene glycol (PEG) 400. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques were considered for the necessary characterization of these nanoparticles (nps). This freshly developed electrode was deployed as the Working Electrode (WE) in a three-electrode system. This setup used the Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) analysis methods for studying the behaviors of AMR in a Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) environment with a pH of 6. The DPV revealed two different linear ranges. The first one was 0.05-5 μM and the next one was 5μM-100 μM for identifying AMR. The Limit of Detection (LOD) was found 3.6nM considering the lowest concentration based linear range. The modified electrode showcased outstanding consistency, reliability, selectivity, and extended stability for AMR detection. Furthermore, the efficacy of this electrode was validated through the successful detection of AMR in real-world food samples. Different candies were used as real samples for studying this electrode and pretty enough recoveries within the range of 94%-115% were achieved.