Acetaminophen (APAP) is an antipyretic, analgesic agent, the overdose of which during medical treatment poses a risk for liver failure. Herein, we report an effective, selective electrochemical APAP sensor prepared by depositing silicon nanowires (SiNWs) onto glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs). Electrocatalytic activity of the SiNW/GCE sensors was studied under various pH and concentrations of APAP using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). CVs of the SiNWs at 0.5 mM to 13 mM APAP concentrations was used to determine the oxidation and reduction potentials of APAP. Both oxidation and reduction of APAP is diffusion controlled, with faster diffusion for oxidation than reduction. The SiNWs demonstrated a clear increase in current with increase in APAP concentrations in the 0.01 to 3 mM range that spans both therapeutic and toxic regions. Selectivity for APAP monitoring was then demonstrated using CA against interfering analytes at +0.568 V vs Ag/AgCl, where APAP is fully oxidized.

Silicon nanowires as an acetaminophen electrochemical sensor

256th National Meeting (2018)

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