18-Crown[6]ether functionalized reduced graphene oxide for membrane-free ion selective sensing

The focus of this work is on the synthesis of a 1-Aza-18-crown[6]ether functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RGO-crown[6]) with specific K+ binding sites on the RGO surface. Glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) functionalized with RGO-crown[6] weretested for selective potentiometric sensing of K+ , with a detection limit of 10-5 M without inference from other ions (Na+ , Li+ , NH4+ and Ca2+) in concentrations up to 2.5 × 10-2 M.

Similar sensing was achieved with functionalized disposable SPE electrodes. The results demonstrate that RGO-crown[6] is a conductive material full of promise for application in fabrication of new types of ion selective sensors.