Facile Green Synthesis of α-Bismuth Oxide Nanoparticles: Its Photocatalytic and Electrochemical Sensing of Glucose and Uric Acid in an Acidic Medium

Abstract

The nanocrystalline bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) was produced utilizing a green combustion process with Mexican Mint gel as the fuel. The powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) method proved the nanocrystalline nature and Bi2O3 nanoparticles (BONPs) in α phase and the average crystalline size of BONPs nanoparticles has been found to be 60 nm. The spherical-shaped structure with bright dot-like spots in the center of the selected area diffraction (SAED) is confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) in conjunction with the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) demonstrating the crystalline behavior of green NPs. The Kubelka-Monk function was used to analyze diffuse reflectance spectra, and the results revealed that BONPs have a band gap of 3.07 eV. When utilized to evaluate the photocatalytic capabilities of NPs, the direct green (DG) and fast orange red (F-OR) dyes were found to be activated at 618 and 503 nm, respectively. After 120 min of exposure to UV radiation, the DG and F-OR dyes’ photodegradation rate reduced its hue by up to 88.2% and 94%, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance techniques in 0.1 N HCl were used to efficiently analyze the electrochemical behavior of the produced BONPs. A carbon paste electrode that had been enhanced with BONPs was used to detect the glucose and uric acid in a 0.1 N HCl solution. The results of the cyclic voltammetry point to the excellent electrochemical qualities of BONPs. Bi2O3 electrode material was found to have a proton diffusion coefficient of 1.039 × 10−5 cm2s−1. BONP exhibits significant potential as an electrode material for sensing chemicals like glucose and uric acid, according to the electrochemical behavior.