Abstract

A one-step synthesis approach was adopted to fabricate the rGO/SnO2 nanocomposite using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) along with tin chloride. The nanocomposite exhibited well-dispersed SnO2 particles anchored on rGO sheets owing to electrostatic interactions. The average particle size of SnO2 was around 8.0 +/- 0.2 nm, stabilized by pi-electron interactions of the rGO. The synthesized rGO/SnO2 material served as a modifier for the glassy carbon electrode (GCE), forming an rGO/SnO2/GCE configuration. The modified electrode exhibited enhanced electrochemical activity and efficient electron transport in the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox pair, enabling sensitive voltammetric detection of paracetamol under optimal conditions. The developed electrode offered excellent analytical performance, recording a sensitivity of 0.267 mu A mu M-1 and detecting paracetamol concentrations as low as 0.04 mu M across a broad linear range (0.1-130 mu M). It also exhibited high selectivity, remaining unaffected by common interfering biomolecules. Finally, the fabricated rGO/SnO2/GCE sensor was applied to determine paracetamol levels in human urine and commercial tablet formulations, demonstrating excellent feasibility for real-sample and bioclinical analyses.