A multianalyte electrochemical sensor based on cellulose fibers with silver nanoparticles composite as an innovative nano-framework for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine and paracetamol

Abstract In the current study, we have developed a voltammetric biosensor using cellulose nano-fibers (CNF's) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for concomitant determination of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and paracetamol (PA). CNFs were extracted from sugar cane bagasse as a natural source and percentage of bleached cellulose in CNF was found to be 84.12%, with significant increase in cellulose content following the chemical treatment. AgNPs was synthesised in situ using CNFs as a reducing agent. The average domain size of nanoparticles and degree of crystallinity of the extracted fibres was determined to be 15.3 nm and 79.23% respectively. The AgNPs-CNFs innovative nano framework composite was employed in the fabrication of the multi-analyte electrochemical sensor and electro analytical characterization performed with cyclic voltametry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The proposed Gr/CNF-AgNPS (Graphite/Cellulose nanofibers-silver nano particles) nanocomposite electrode exhibited large surface area and high selectivity, wide linear responses with a very low analysis/determination limits of 0.029,0.034 and 0.019 µmol/L for AA, DA and PA, respectively. The developed electrode demonstrated exceptional anti-interference property. Furthermore, the proposed sensor was successfully employed for the analysis of AA, DA and PA in human urine and blood serum.