Biosynthesis of titanium oxide-aluminium oxide nanocomposites for electrocatalytic detection of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol

Chlorophenols are a widespread class of chemical compounds with multiple applications across various industries. Trichlorophenol (TCP) is an organochlorine compound widely utilized as an antifungal, antiseptic agent, antimicrobial, insecticide, and pesticide. This study presents a novel approach to electrochemically detect TCP using a newly developed titanium oxide-aluminum oxide nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode (TiO₂. Al₂O₃-NCs/GCE). TiO₂. Al₂O₃-NCs were synthesized through the co-precipitation method using fagonia plant extract, followed by the fabrication of TiO₂. Al₂O₃-NCs/GCE by drop casting approach. The TiO₂. Al₂O₃-NCs exhibited a cubic crystalline phase with a rough surface, while their particle size was less than 40 nm and had an average zeta potential value of 7.23 mV. The TiO₂. Al₂O₃-NCs/GCE was applied for the quantitative detection of TCP by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results demonstrated excellent accuracy and selectivity of the fabricated sensor for trace-level detection of TCP with a detection limit of 1.85 × 10⁻⁹ M. The TiO₂. Al₂O₃-NCs/GCE-based developed electrochemical method was successfully applied for detecting TCP from water and pharmaceutical samples with excellent recoveries (> 90%).