In this work, Fe-decorated nitrogen-doped carbon nanospheres are prepared for electrochemical monitoring of acetaminophen. Via a direct pyrolysis of the melamine-formaldehyde resin spheres, the well-distributed Fe-NC spheres were obtained. The as-prepared Fe-NC possesses enhanced catalysis towards the redox of acetaminophen for abundant active sites and high-speed charge transfer. The effect of loading Fe species on the electrochemical sensing of acetaminophen is investigated in detail. The synergistic effect of nitrogen doping along with the above-mentioned properties is taken advantage of in the fabrication of electrochemical sensors for the acetaminophen determination. Based on the calibration plot, the limits of detection (LOD) were calculated to be 0.026 μM with a linear range from 0-100 μM. Additionally satisfactory repeatability, stability, and selectivity are obtained.
Keywords: Fe–decorated nitrogen–doped carbon nanospheres; acetaminophen; electrochemical sensor; melamine–formaldehyde resin.