Cerium(IV) and Iron(III) Oxides Nanoparticles Based Voltammetric Sensor for the Sensitive and Selective Determination of Lipoic Acid

A novel voltammetric sensor based on CeO(2)·Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles (NPs) has been developed for the determination of lipoic acid, playing an essential role in aerobic metabolism in the living organism. Sensor surface modification provides a 5.6-fold increase of the lipoic acid oxidation currents and a 20 mV anodic shift of the oxidation potential. The best voltammetric parameters have been obtained for the 0.5 mg mL(−1) dispersion of CeO(2)·Fe(2)O(3) NPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms the presence of spherical NPs of 25–60 nm, and their aggregates evenly distributed on the electrode surface and formed porous coverage. This leads to the 4.4-fold increase of the effective surface area vs. bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The sensor shows a significantly higher electron transfer rate. Electrooxidation of lipoic acid on CeO(2)·Fe(2)O(3) NPs modified GCE is an irreversible diffusion-controlled pH-independent process occurring with the participation of two electrons. The sensor gives a linear response to lipoic acid in the ranges of 0.075–7.5 and 7.5–100 μM with the detection limit of 0.053 μM. The sensor is selective towards lipoic acid in the presence of inorganic ions, ascorbic acid, saccharides, and other S-containing compounds. The sensor developed has been tested on the pharmaceutical dosage forms of lipoic acid.