Interlayer-engineered graphene oxide-mono-Boc-ethylenediamine nanosheets for sensitive electrochemical detection of the food antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone.

Authors

Sneha Abraham, Jebasingh Bhagavathsingh, Ephrin Shaji, Arunkumar Selvam, Chih-Yu Kuo, Mani Govindasamy

Published in

RSC advances. Sep 23, 2026. Epub Sep 23, 2026.

Abstract

The monitoring of synthetic antioxidants in food products is essential for quality and consumer safety. In this work, we present the very first electrochemical sensing application of mono-Boc-ethylenediamine-functionalized graphene oxide (GO-EnBoc) nanosheets for the sensitive determination of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a widely used food preservative. GO-EnBoc was synthesized by covalent intercalation of mono-Boc-ethylenediamine into the layers of graphene oxide and characterized by various techniques. XRD analysis revealed a significant increase in the interlayer spacing from 0.93 nm to 1.20 nm, indicating successful intercalation, and FTIR spectra confirmed the introduction of nitrogen-containing functional groups. Morphological investigations showed a wrinkled, ultrathin layered structure with improved surface accessibility and electron transfer properties. We investigated the electrochemical sensing performance of GO-EnBoc modified glassy carbon electrodes using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). At around 0.33 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), the modified electrode presented a well-defined TBHQ oxidation peak and a linear response in the concentration range of 0.1-130 µM with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. The sensor exhibited a low limit of detection (LOD) of 95 nM and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.31 µM. Good repeatability (RSD = 2.1%) and reproducibility (RSD = 3.4%) were obtained. The practical applicability of the sensor was confirmed in chips, popcorn, and edible oil samples with a recovery of 92% to 102%. These findings demonstrate GO-EnBoc as an attractive platform for rapid, reliable, and portable electrochemical monitoring of synthetic antioxidants in complex food matrices.

PMID:
42781484
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Sep 2026.

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