A novel hydrazine electrochemical sensor based on the high specific surface area graphene

• DOI: 10.1007/s00604-010-0304-6
• Publication Date: 2010-02-19T08:11:30Z
• Authors: Cong Wang; Li Zhang; Zhihua Guo; Jigui Xu; Hongyan Wang; Kefeng Zhai; Xin Zhuo
• Keywords: Hydrazine (antidepressant); Amperometry; Overpotential; Electrochemical gas sensor; Nanochemistry

An ultrasensitive platform is presented for the determination of hydrazine by combining the high specific surface area and higher electrical conductivity of poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSS) graphene nanocomposite film with amperometric detection. The PSS-graphene were synthesized by the Hummers method and used to modify a glassy carbon electrode. The material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and is found to be suitable for sensing hydrazine. The overpotential of hydrazine on the modified electrode is 0.31 V which is lower than in many electrochemical sensors. The calibration curve for hydrazine is linear in the range from 3.0 to 300 µmol L−1, and the detection limit is as low as 1 µmol L−1. This is the first report in which such a high sensitivity and low limit of detection has been achieved. It is concluded that PSS graphene represents an efficient electron mediator for sensing hydrazine.