Preparation and performance of WO3/rGO modified carbon sensor for enhanced electrochemical detection of triclosan

• The WO 3 and rGO nanocomposite modified electrode was used for the investigation of TCS. • The detection limit of TCS was determined to be 0.24 nM. • Tungsten oxide nanorods were synthesized and characterized using different techniques. • TCS was analyzed in spiked water, soil, fruits and vegetable samples. • The electrochemical process of TCS was diffusion-controlled. Triclosan (TCS), a bactericide, has recently been identified as a pollutant that exhibits endocrine-disrupting chemical effects. Today, the investigation of TCS in biological, environmental and pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) samples is of primary concern. The present study involves the development of a new sensor for the sensing and investigation of TCS based on carbon paste modified with tungsten oxide nanorods (WO 3 ) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite in 0.2 M phosphate buffer solution (PB). The analysis of samples of fruits, vegetables, soil, and water contaminated with TCS pesticide was followed through the square wave voltammetry (SWV) technique in pH 9.2 PB. The applied potential on the fabricated sensor oxidizes TCS at considerably greater oxidation currents than the bare carbon paste electrode (CPE). The electrochemical performance of TCS was measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and SWV. Nanostructured WO 3 produces well-resolved peaks and enhanced electrochemical current response when opted as a modifier in electrode-based sensors. Given this, we proposed the synthesis of one dimensional (1-D) WO 3 nanostructure and utilized it to analyze TCS. SEM, XRD, TEM, and XPS analysis evaluated the crystallinity, morphology, and structural properties. The produced 1-D WO 3 exhibits a monoclinic crystal structure with oxygen vacancies in the lattice. Electro-kinetic parameters such as temperature effect, heterogeneous rate constant, and other parameters such as scan rate, accumulation time, activation energy, pH, thermodynamic parameters, and the number of protons and electrons involved in the TCS electro-oxidation were studied.