Synergy between Printex nano-carbons and silver nanoparticles for sensitive estimation of antioxidant activity

We report on the synthesis, characterization and applications of a Printex L6 carbon-silver hybrid nanomaterial (PC-Ag), which was obtained using a polyol method. In addition, we also highlight the use of Printex L6 nano-carbon as a much cheaper alternative to the use of carbon nanotubes and graphene. The silver nanoparticles (AgNP) were prepared directly on the surface of the Printex 6L carbon ``nanocarbon{''} material using ethylene glycol as the reducing agent. The hybrid nanomaterial was characterized by High-angle annular dark-field transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-TEM), energy-dispersive Xray spectroscopy (EDX), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), Raman spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Optimized electrocatalytic activity on glassy carbon electrode was reached for the architecture GC/PC-Ag, the silver nanoparticles with size ranging between 1 and 2 nm were well edistributed throughout the hybrid material. The synergy between PC nano-carbons and AgNPs was verified by detection of gallic acid (GA) at a low applied potential (0.091 V vs. Ag/AgCl). GA detection was performed in a concentration range between 5.0 x 10(-7) and 8.5 x 10(-6) mol L-1, with a detection limit of 6.63 x 10(-8) mol L-1 (66.3 nmol L-1), which is considerably lower than similar devices. The approach for fabricating the reproducible GC/PC-Ag electrodes is entirely generic and may be explored for other types of (bio) sensors and devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)