Characterization of Electrochemical Sensors Based on Carbon Nanotubes and MIPS for Determination of Ferulic Acid

Abstract

In order to mitigate the impacts caused by the rampant consumption of fossil fuels, many countries are investing in the development and optimization of alternatives that minimize dependence on fossil energy. The second generation of ethanol (2G), characterized by its relevant production potential, is considered a good alternative, which can be produced from sugarcane bagasse. Therefore, it is extremely important to evaluate the efficiency of 2G ethanol production processes, mainly in the compositional analysis of hydrolysates from the pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass, to promote greater production. Thus, the development of electrochemical sensors composed of graphite/paraffin composite electrodes coated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) modified with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are an excellent option for carrying out rapid analyzes. Due to the highly sensitive electrical properties of the MWCNTs and the molecular impression of the polymers that allow a high affinity with the model molecule, the sensor has high selectivity, good sensitivity and reproducibility for the determination of ferulic acid. For this reason, the present work, using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) technique, presents remarkable morphological characteristics of the sensor surface and its electrochemical behavior in relation to the electropolymerization process and speed increase of the scan.