Gold Nanoparticle-Loaded Silica Nanospheres for Sensitive and Selective Electrochemical Detection of Bisphenol A

Abstract

In this work, silica nanospheres were used as support for gold nanoparticles and applied for bisphenol A electrochemical detection. The development of new silica-supported materials has attracted increasing attention in the scientific world. One approach of interest is using silica nanospheres as support for gold nanoparticles. These materials have a variety of applications in several areas, such as electrochemical sensors. The obtained materials were characterized by solid-state UV-vis spectroscopy, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electrochemical techniques. The electrode modified with AuSiO₂700/CHI/Pt was applied as an electrochemical sensor for BPA, presenting an oxidation potential of 0.842 V and a higher peak current among the tested materials. The AuSiO₂700/CHI/Pt electrode showed a logarithmic response for the detection of BPA in the range of 1-1000 nmol L^-1, with a calculated detection limit of 7.75 nmol L^-1 and a quantification limit of 25.8 nmol L^-1. Thus, the electrode AuSiO₂700/CHI/Pt was presented as a promising alternative to an electrochemical sensor in the detection of BPA.