TriMetaloxide Nanocomposite on Functionalized Nitrogen Graphene Oxide for Nitrite/Nitrate Detection

A ternary Co–Ni–ZnO decorated nitrogen graphene oxide ( Co–Ni–ZnO/NGO ) nanocomposite was synthesized using an elementary and cost-effective method for electrochemical nitrite detection. UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) were used to assess the structural and morphological characteristics of the fabricated material. Co–Ni–ZnO nanoparticles with a large surface area and enhanced electron transport kinetics were found to be uniformly spaced over NGO sheets, based on SEM pictures. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were used to examine the electrochemical sensing capabilities of the Co–Ni–ZnO/NGO modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). When it came to nitrite oxidation, the sensor demonstrated outstanding electrocatalytic performance. With an enlarged detection range of 1.5–78 µM, a linear connection between current response and nitrite concentration was found in the range of 1–50 µM (R ²  = 0.99154). The sensor displayed a high sensitivity of 1.945 µA µM⁻¹ cm⁻² and a low detection limit of 3.87 nM. These results indicate that the developed nanocomposite is a promising material for sensitive and selective nitrite detection in environmental and food samples.