Electrochemical sensor for bisphenol A based on magnetic nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide

Bisphenol A (BPA), as one kind of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, has adverse impact on human health and environment. It is urgent to develop effective and simple methods for quantitative determination of BPA. In this work, an electrochemical sensor for BPA based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites and chitosan was presented for the first time. The MNPs-rGO composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-Ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Electrochemical studies show that MNPs-rGO composites can lower the oxidation overpotential and enhance electrochemical response of BPA due to the synergetic effects of MNPs and rGO. Under the optimal experiment conditions, the oxidation peak current was proportional to the concentration of BPA over the range of 6.0 x 10(-8) to 1.1 x 10(-5) mol L-1 with the detection limit of 1.7 x 10(-8) mol L-1. Moreover, the MNPs-rGO based electrochemical sensor shows excellent stability, reproducibility and selectivity. The electrochemical sensor has been successfully applied to the determination of BPA in real samples with satisfactory results. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.