Synthesis of fumed silica modified with platinum nanoparticles and an investigation of its usage in the voltammetric determination of bisphenol A

In the present study, it was aimed to develop an electrochemical sensor based on a modified electrode for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA), which is one of the endocrine disrupting chemicals. First, a nanocomposite (TS@Pt) consisting of platinum nanoparticle modified fumed silica was synthesized. Afterwards, the carbon paste electrode was modified with the nanocomposite prepared as the modification agent and a voltammetric method was developed for the determination of BPA. The prepared modified electrode and the modification agent were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, EDX analysis and X-ray diffraction. Electrochemical behavior of modified carbon paste electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Experimental parameters such as accumulation potential, accumulation time, and pH have been optimized. The prepared modified electrode showed 5.13 times higher electrochemical response for the oxidation of BPA compared to the bare carbon paste electrode. The proposed method indicated a very low detection limit (0.0346 μM), a low quantification limit (0.1115 μM), and a wide linear range (0.5 - 15.0 μM) for the analysis of BPA. Finally, the prepared electrochemical sensor was tested for the determination of BPA in river water, tap water and mineral water samples. The BPA recovery values were verified with the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The obtained results showed that the prepared electrochemical sensor can be used safely for the analysis of BPA.