Highly sensitive and efficient voltammetric determination of ascorbic acid in food and pharmaceutical samples from aqueous solutions based on nanostructure carbon paste electrode as a sensor

A square wave voltammetric method for the trace analysis of ascorbic acid was developed in this study. Carbon paste electrode was modified with NiO nanoparticle and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as a binder. Electro-oxidation behavior of ascorbic acid on the modified electrode was studied, which indicated that the nanostructure modified electrode could efficiently promote electrocatalytic oxidation of ascorbic acid. A fast, selective, high sensitive and simple electrochemical strategy was then developed for trace analysis of ascorbic acid using the constructed electrode. The catalytic oxidation signal exhibited a wide linear range from 0.08 to 380.0 μM toward the concentration of ascorbic acid with a sensitivity of 0.0158 μA/μM, and the limit of detection was as low as 0.04 μM. The suggested sensor was also used for quantitative determination of ascorbic acid in food and pharmaceutical samples.