Electrochemical determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers utilising poly-L-cystine-AgTiCrO2 nanohybrids

The catechol (CH), hydroquinone (HO), and resorcinol (RN) belong to the class of dihydroxy benzene isomers (DHBIs) and pose a detrimental influence on living organisms and the ecosystem. The development of the electrocatalyst for the reliable low-concentration determination of DHBIs is of current research significance. In this context, the AgTiCrO₂ nanohybrid is synthesised by employing the combustion (CN) method. The synthesised nanohybrid is analysed for phase structure and vibrational modes via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The elemental composition and morphological features are studied through EDS (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) and Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The electrode is fabricated into PC-AgTiCrO₂-rGO-GCE (poly-cystine-AgTiCrO₂-reduced-graphene oxide-glassy carbon electrode) for the determination of DHBIs. The redox performance of the fabricated electrode is investigated by various electroanalytical procedures. The fabricated electrode surface illustrates the elevated performance for the determination of DHBIs at a linear range of 0.3 µM to 2.3 µM (CH), 0.3 µM to 3.1 µM (HO), and 0.3 µM to 1.5 µM (RN). The study reveals the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.035 µM (CH), 0.135 µM (HO), and 0.5 µM (RN). The notable properties of the fabricated electrode may be associated with the enhanced charge transfer capacity from the combined effect of rGO, AgTiCrO₂, and PC. The proposed study broadens the application spectrum of nanohybrids and provides a novel viewpoint for efficient electrochemical sensors in environmental monitoring.