Electrocatalytic determination of ascorbic acid using a green synthesised magnetite nano-flake modified carbon paste electrode by cyclic voltammetric method

Abstract

In the present paper, aqueous extracts ofAlchemilla Vulgaris (Aslan Pençesi) leaves have been used to prepare Fe3O4 nano-flakes accompanied by calcination at 400°C. The various properties of biosynthesised Fe3O4 nano-flakes were investigated using UV–Visible, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry, thermogravimetric (TG), and differential thermal analysis (DTA) respectively. The SEM study reveals the formation of flake-like structure with a diameter of 85 nm and a thickness of 9 nm respectively. The DTA curve shows two endothermic peaks corresponding to the decomposition of organic matter and the deoxidation of FeO (Wustite) to α-Fe, respectively, and their activation energy values were found to be 5.73 and 16.43 kJ/moles, respectively. The green synthesised magnetite nano-flakes is proved to be an excellent electrocatalyst for the electro-oxidation of ascorbic acid. The effect of scan rates, the concentration of the modifier, and the analyte was also investigated.