Environmental pollution has become an alarming issue for the modern world due to the extensive release of untreated chemical waste into freshwater bodies. Untreated chemical waste poses significant negative impacts on aquatic life and human health. The phenolic compounds are widely used in different industries for dyeing, as food preservatives, and for the production of pesticides. 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (TCP) is among the most hazardous phenolic compounds that cause several serious health effects. Thus, it is important to monitor TCP in the environmental samples frequently. In the current work, it was aimed to develop a highly sensitive zinc oxide-doped (ZnO) reduce graphene oxide (rGO) composite-based electrochemical sensor for TCP monitoring in the real samples. In this regard, graphene oxide (GO) was simultaneously reduced and doped with ZnO using a facile microwave-assisted synthesis strategy. The resulting ZnO/rGO composite was successfully utilized to fabricate ZnO/rGO-modified glassy carbon electrode (ZnO/rGO/GCE) for the selective and trace level determination of TCP. The conductivity and electrocatalytic behaviors of ZnO/rGO/GCE were examined through different modes of electrochemical setup. Under the optimal operating conditions such as a scan rate of 80 mV.s−1, PBS electrolyte (pH 7.0), and the concentration range of 0.01–80 μM, the fabricated electrochemical sensor manifested outstanding responses for monitoring TCP. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of the ZnO/rGO/GCE for TCP were found as 0.0067 μM and 0.019 μM, respectively. Moreover, the anti-interference profile and stable nature of ZnO/rGO/GCE made the suggested electrochemical sensor a superb tool for quantifying TCP in a real matrix.

In the present investigation, a new electrochemical sensor based on carbon paste electrode was applied to simultaneous determine the tramadol, olanzapine and acetaminophen for the first time. The CuO/reduced graphene nanoribbons (rGNR) nanocomposites and 1-ethyl 3-methyl imidazolinium chloride as ionic liquid (IL) were employed as modifiers. The electrooxidation of these drugs at the surface of the modified electrode was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry. Various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were used to validate the structure of CuO-rGNR nanocomposites. This sensor displayed a superb electro catalytic oxidation activity and good sensitivity. Under optimized conditions, the results showed the linear in the concentration range of 0.08–900 μM and detection limit (LOD) was achieved to be 0.05 μM. The suggested technique was effectively used to the determination of tramadol in pharmaceuticals and human serum samples. For the first time, the present study demonstrated the synthesis and utilization of the porous nanocomposites to make a unique and sensitive electrode and ionic liquid for electrode modification to co-measurement of these drugs.