Amperometric determination of ascorbic acid with a glassy carbon electrode modified with TiO2-gold nanoparticles integrated into carbon nanotubes.

A glassy carbon electrode was modified with a TiO2-gold nanoparticle hybrid integrated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a dihexadecylphosphate film (TiO2-Au NP-MWCNT-DHP/GCE) and applied to amperometric determination of ascorbic acid (AA). The modified sensor displays fast charge transfer and shows an irreversible anodic behavior for AA by cyclic voltammetry. Under optimal experimental conditions and using amperometry at 0.4 V, the analytical curve presented a statistical linear concentration range for AA from 5.0 to 51 μmol L-1, with a limit of detection of 1.2 μmol L-1. The electrode was successfully applied to the determination of AA in pharmaceutical and fruit juice without the need for major pretreatment of samples. Graphical abstract Schematic of a new sensing platform for ascorbic acid (AA). It is based on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with TiO2-Au nanoparticles integrated into carbon nanotubes in a dihexadecylphosphate film. The sensor was applied to amperometric determination of AA in juice and pharmaceutical samples.