Modification of Commercial Pt/C Catalyst with Graphene Nanoplatelets for Sensitive and Selective Detection of Acetaminophen in Commercial Tablets

Abstract

Here, commercial Pt/C catalyst was modified with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) to construct electrochemical acetaminophen (APAP) sensors with high sensitivity and wide linear range. Physical mixture of Pt/C and GNPs with various contents were used to prepare ink formulations for the construction of electrochemical APAP sensors. The carbon content was kept constant to show the effect of GNPs content in the catalyst layer while decreasing the total Pt loading on the electrode surface. The Pt/C and GNPs were characterized using XRD, TEM, XPS, SEM, and EDS techniques. The analytical results indicated that the performance of the sensors was improved after GNPs introduction in Pt/C catalyst. It is of the note that while the amount of precious metal, Pt, on the electrode surface was decreased, the overall sensor performance was enhanced, confirming the importance of the catalyst support on the electrochemical performance of the catalyst systems. The sensors displayed a wide range of 0.1–3.0 mM with a high sensitivity of 209.07 μA. mM−1. cm−2. The reliability of the constructed sensors was evaluated by the determination of APAP concentration in commercial tablets and excellent recovery values were achieved.