Electrocatalytic Properties of a BaTiO3/MWCNT Composite for Citric Acid Detection

Abstract

Although barium titanate (BaTiO3) shows prominent dielectric properties for fabricating electronic devices, its utilization in electrochemical applications is limited. Thus, this study examined the potential of a BaTiO3-based composite in the detection of a food additive, i.e., citric acid. First, a submicron-scale BaTiO3 powder was synthesized using the solution combustion method. Then, a BaTiO3/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite was hydrothermally synthesized at BaTiO3:MWCNT mass ratios of 1:1 and 2:1. This composite was used as a working electrode in a nonenzymatic sensor to evaluate its electrocatalytic activity. Cyclic voltammetric measurements revealed that the BaTiO3/MWCNT composite (2:1) exhibited the highest electrocatalytic activity. Reduction reactions were observed at applied voltages of approximately 0.02 and −0.67 V, whereas oxidation reactions were detected at −0.65 and 0.47 V. With acceptable sensitivity, decent selectivity, and fair stability, the BaTiO3/MWCNT composite (2:1) showed good potential for citric acid detection.

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“…The resulting images reveal irregular shapes, with the MWCNTs being fully covered, as reported previously [75]. It was also observed that an increase in the concentration of MWCNT led to its agglomeration [48].…”

“…Furthermore, the XRD patterns of pure BaTiO3 and BaTiO3/MWCNT nanocomposites showed a weak peak (labeled with "*") at 24.16° and 24.61° that can be attributed to (111) and (102) reflection planes of BaCO3 (JCPDS N° 00-041-0373). This formation is associated with the result of a chemical reaction between barium from the starting reagent and citric acid during the combustion process [48]. The Rietveld refinement results indicate that the addition of 3% of MWCNT reduces the crystallite size of BaTiO 3 from 83.27 to 57.71 nm, compared to pure BaTiO 3 .…”