Fabrication of an Ag-Doped ZnO Nanoparticle-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Arsenic Detection in Water

Interest has recently grown in developing electrochemical sensors to detect highly toxic arsenic. This study utilised the solution method to synthesise silver (Ag)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs), followed by a detailed analysis. The Ag-ZnO NPs were employed to fabricate an electrochemical arsenic sensor following the modification of the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with the synthesised nanomaterial. The differential pulse voltammetry technique was employed to detect various concentrations of arsenic using a fabricated Ag-ZnO NPs/GCE sensor. The arsenic sensor’s electrochemical performance was estimated, resulting in a wide linearity of up to 300 ppb, high sensitivity (0.8173 μA/ppb/cm²), and a 2.6 ppb detection limit. Furthermore, satisfactory selectivity, reproducibility, and stability were achieved. Additionally, the Ag-ZnO NPs/GCE sensor successfully analysed arsenic in tap and drinking water samples, producing satisfactory recovery rates. These results highlight the promising potential of the Ag-ZnO NPs-based sensor for electrochemical analysis of arsenic in real-world environments.