Abstract
A novel tantalum pentoxide nanoparticle-electrochemically reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode (Ta(2)O(5)-ErGO/GCE) was developed for the detection of oxytetracycline in milk. The composition, structure and morphology of GO, Ta(2)O(5), and Ta(2)O(5)-ErGO were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Oxytetracycline electrochemical behavior on the bare GCE, GO/GCE, ErGO/GCE, and Ta(2)O(5)-ErGO/GCE was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The voltammetric conditions (including scan rate, pH, deposition potential, and deposition time) were systematically optimized. With the spacious electrochemical active area, the Ta(2)O(5)-ErGO/GCE showed a great magnification of the oxidation signal of oxytetracycline, while that of the other electrodes (GCE, GO/GCE, ErGO/GCE) could not reach the same level. Under the optimum conditions, the currents were proportional to the oxytetracycline concentration in the range from 0.2 to 10 μM, and a low detection limit of 0.095 μM (S/N = 3) was detectable. Moreover, the proposed Ta(2)O(5)-ErGO/GCE performed practically with satisfactory results. The preparation of Ta(2)O(5)-ErGO/GCE in the current work provides a minor outlook of detecting trace oxytetracycline in milk.