Abstract

Samuel Chufamo43625*, Bezabih Kelita43626, Alemu Lelago43627 and Almaz Kemal43628

PANI-ZnO nano composite was synthesized by both electrochemical and chemical synthesis methods. Chemically synthesized nanomaterials were prepared via in-situ oxidation polymerization method. Then, the synthesized nanomaterial’s: Polyaniline (PANI), ZnO and PANI-ZnO were characterized by Ultraviolet- Visible (UV-Vis), SEM and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The UV-Vis spectrum of PANI-ZnO nano composite was studied to investigate the optical properties. After addition of ZnO particle to the PANI, the polymer shows red shift of π to π* transition. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) shows PANI nano fibers distributed on the surface of ZnO. Moreover, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra show that chemical bond and stretching assigned to different peaks. Polyaniline- Zinc Oxide/Glass Carbon Electrode (PANI-ZnO/ GCE) fabricated electrode was prepared via layer by layer electrochemical polymerization of aniline on the surface of Glass Carbon Electrode. Multilayered electro active PANI-ZnO/GCE composite was synthesized by electrochemical polymerization of aniline on GCE followed by coating with 5 μL ZnO nanoparticle suspension. The fabricated ZnO-PANI/GCE was again polymerized with aniline to produce PANI-ZnO/ GCE composite films. Then, electrochemical behavior of paracetamol at PANI-ZnO composite film fabricated glass carbon electrode was characterized by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV). The fabricated electrochemical sensor shows good analytical performance for paracetamol with a detection limit 7.50 × 10⁻⁷ M; the sensitivity of 4.84 with linear concentration of paracetamol within the range of 1-80 μM by employing deferential pulse voltammetry.