Synthesis of Zinc Hydroxide Nanocrystals and Application as a New Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Selected Sympathomimetic Drugs

Abstract

Zinc hydroxide (Zn(OH)(2)) nanoparticles with nanocrystal morphology and grain size similar to 48 nm have been success fully synthesized by using a two-step, template-and surfactant-free method. The synthesized product was characterized by FTIR, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scan ning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). The XRD pat tern of zinc oxide con firms formation of the wurtzite structure of Zn(OH)(2). For the first time zinc oxide nanostructures ha ve been used for electrocatalytic oxidation and de termination of sympathomimetic drugs in aqueous solution. The electrochemical parameters of sympathomimetic drugs were investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry as well as flow injection analysis.