A method with high sensitivity, good accuracy and fast response is of ever increasing importance for the simultaneous detection of AA, DA and UA. In this paper, a simple and sensitive electrochemical sensor, which based on the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-graphene composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (PVP-GR/GCE), was presented for detecting ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) simultaneously. The PVP-GR/GCE has excellent electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of AA, DA and UA. The second-order derivative linear sweep voltammetry was used for the electrochemical measurements. The peak potential differences of DA-AA, DA-UA, and UA-AA (measured on the PVP-GR/GCE) were 212, 130 and 342 mV respectively. Besides, the over potential of AA, DA and UA reduced obviously, so did the peak current increase. Under the optimum conditions, the linear ranges of AA, DA and UA were 4.0 μM–1.0 mM, 0.02–100 μM, and 0.04–100 μM, respectively. The detection limits were 0.8 μM, 0.002 μM and 0.02 μM for AA, DA, and UA. The electrochemical sensor presented the advantages of high sensitivity and selectivity, excellent reproducibility and long-term stability. Furthermore, the sensor was successfully applied to the analysis of real samples.

4-nitrophenol (4-NP) is a hazardous waste and a priority toxic pollutant identified by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Hence, in this paper, a voltammetric sensor was proposed for the direct and sensitive detection of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) at nanomolar level in complex matrices by using graphene and acetylene black paste hybridized electrode (GR/ABPE). Under optimal conditions, the calibration curve demonstrates a linear relationship for 4-NP in the range from 20 nM to 8.0 μM and 8.0 μM to 0.1 mM separately with the detection limit of 8.0 nM. In addition to it, the performance of the GR/ABPE in practical applications was evaluated by detecting 4-NP in various water samples, and satisfactory recoveries were realized. Therefore, GR/ABPE may have a great potential application for facile and sensitive detection of 4-NP in complex matrices at nanomolar level.

A new electrochemical sensor for nanomolar rutin detection based on amine-functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (NH₂-Fe₃O₄ NPs-ErGO/GCE) was fabricated through a simple method, and the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and electrochemical technique were used to characterize the modified electrode. The electrochemical behavior of rutin on the Fe₃O₄ NPs-ErGO/GCE was studied in detail. The electrochemical response of rutin at this modified electrode was remarkably higher than that of the bare GCE or other modified GCE (GO/GCE, Fe₃O₄ NPs-GO/GCE, and ErGO/GCE). Under the optimum determination conditions, Fe₃O₄ NPs-ErGO/GCE provided rutin with a broader detection range of 6.0 nM–0.1 µM; 0.1–8.0 µM and 8.0–80 µM, a minimum detectable concentration of 4.0 nM was obtained after 210 s accumulation. This novel method was applied in determination of rutin in pharmaceutical tablets and urine samples with satisfactory results.

In this paper, a nanocomposite of cuprous oxide and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (Cu₂O–ERGO) was prepared by a simple and low-cost method; hereby, a new method for the electrochemical determination of tryptophan (Trp) by this composite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is proposed. The prepared materials and modified electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results showed that Cu₂O–ERGO/GCE had good electrocatalytic activity for Trp. The effects of supporting electrolyte, scanning rate, accumulation potential, and accumulation time on the determination of Trp were studied. Under the optimum experimental conditions, Trp was quantitatively analyzed by square-wave voltammetry (SWV). The oxidation peak current of Trp had a good linear relationship with its concentration in the range of 0.02–20 μM, and the detection limit was 0.01 μM (S/N = 3). In addition, the modified electrode has high sensitivity, good repeatability, and long-term stability. Finally, the proposed method has been successfully applied in the determination of Trp concentration in practical samples.

A novel tantalum pentoxide nanoparticle-electrochemically reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode (Ta₂O₅-ErGO/GCE) was developed for the detection of oxytetracycline in milk. The composition, structure and morphology of GO, Ta₂O₅, and Ta₂O₅-ErGO were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Oxytetracycline electrochemical behavior on the bare GCE, GO/GCE, ErGO/GCE, and Ta₂O₅-ErGO/GCE was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The voltammetric conditions (including scan rate, pH, deposition potential, and deposition time) were systematically optimized. With the spacious electrochemical active area, the Ta₂O₅-ErGO/GCE showed a great magnification of the oxidation signal of oxytetracycline, while that of the other electrodes (GCE, GO/GCE, ErGO/GCE) could not reach the same level. Under the optimum conditions, the currents were proportional to the oxytetracycline concentration in the range from 0.2 to 10 μM, and a low detection limit of 0.095 μM (S/N = 3) was detectable. Moreover, the proposed Ta₂O₅-ErGO/GCE performed practically with satisfactory results. The preparation of Ta₂O₅-ErGO/GCE in the current work provides a minor outlook of detecting trace oxytetracycline in milk.

L-tryptophan is one of the eight kinds of essential amino acids for sustainable human life activity. It is common to detect the concentration of tryptophan in human serum for diagnosing and preventing brain related diseases. Herein, in this study, GCE (glassy carbon electrode) modified by Ta₂O₅-reduced graphene oxide (-rGO) composite (Ta₂O₅-rGO-GCE) is synthesized by the hydrothermal synthesis-calcination methods, which is used for detecting the concentration of tryptophan in human serum under the as-obtained optimal detection conditions. As a result, the obtained Ta₂O₅-rGO-GCE shows larger electrochemical activity area than other bare GCE and rGO-GCE due to the synergistic effect of Ta₂O₅ NPs and rGO. Meanwhile, Ta₂O₅-rGO-GCE shows an excellent response to tryptophan during the oxidation process in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (pH = 6). Moreover, three wide linear detection range (1.0–8.0 μM, 8.0–80 μM and 80–800 μM) and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.84 μM (S/N = 3) in the detection of tryptophan are also presented, showing the larger linear ranges and lower detection limit by employing Ta₂O₅-rGO-GCE. Finally, the as-proposed Ta₂O₅-rGO-GCE with satisfactory recoveries (101~106%) is successfully realized for the detection of tryptophan in human serum. The synthesis of Ta₂O₅-rGO-GCE in this article could provide a slight view for the synthesis of other electrochemical catalytic systems in detection of trace substance in human serum.