Detection and Degradation Studies of Nile Blue Sulphate Using Electrochemical and UV-Vis Spectroscopic Techniques

Abstract

An efficient and reliable electrochemical sensing platform based on COOH-fMWCNTs modified GCE (COOH-fMWCNTs/GCE) was designed for the detection of nanomolar concentration of Nile Blue Sulphate (NBS). In comparison to the bare GCE, the electrochemical sensing scaffold considerably enhanced the peak current response of NBS dye as confirmed from the results of voltammetric investigations. The electrochemical approach of detecting NBS in the droplet of its solution dried over the surface of modified electrode validated, the role of modifier in enhancing the sensing response. Under optimized conditions, the designed electrochemical platform demonstrated a wide linearity range (0.03–10 μM) for NBS, with LOD of 1.21 nM. Moreover, COOH-fMWCNTs/GCE was found reproducible and stable as confirmed by repeatability and inter-day durability tests. The selectivity of the designed sensing matrix was ensured by anti-interference tests. The photocatalytic degradation of NBS dye was carried out by using TiO2 nanoparticles as photocatalyst in the presence of H2O2. UV-visible spectroscopic studies revealed 95% photocatalytic degradation of NBS following a pseudo-first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.028 min−1. These findings were supported electrochemically by monitoring the photocatalytically degraded dye at the designed sensing platform. The color variation and final decolorization of the selected dye in water served as a visual indicator of the degradation process. To conclude, the designed sensing platform immobilized with COOH-fMWCNTs imparted improved selectivity and sensitivity to detect and to, monitor the photocatalytic degradation of NBS.