Elucidating the roles of oxygen functional groups and defect density of electrochemically exfoliated GO on the kinetic parameters towards furazolidone detection

Using electrochemically exfoliated graphene oxide (GO)-modified screen-printed carbon electrodes for the detection of furazolidone (FZD), a nitrofuran antibiotic, was explored. In this study, we designed some GO samples possessing different oxygen functional group content/defect density by using ultrasonic irradiation or microwave techniques as supporting tools. The difference in physical characteristics of GO led to the remarkable change in kinetic parameters (electron transfer rate constant (k(s)) and transfer coefficient (α)) of electron transfer reactions at K(3)/K(4) probes as well as the FZD analyte. Obtained results reveal that the GO-ultrasonic sample showed the highest electrochemical response toward FZD detection owing to the increase in defect density and number of edges in the GO nanosheets under ultrasonic irradiation. The proposed electrochemical nanosensor enabled the monitoring of FZD in the linear range from 1 μM to 100 μM with an electrochemical sensitivity of 1.03 μA μM(−1) cm(−2). Tuning suitable electronic structures of GO suggests the potentiality of advanced GO-based electrochemical nanosensor development in food-producing animal safety monitoring applications.