Electrochemical Detection of Capsaicin Using Yttrium Oxide Nanoparticles Modified Graphite Paste Electrode (Y2O3/GPE)

In this paper, Yttrium Oxide (Y
₂
O
₃
) nanoparticles modified graphite paste electrodes were synthesized for the determination of capsaicin, an important biocide used for various medical formulations. Y
₂
O
₃
nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple sol-gel method from yttrium oxide using poly-ethylene glycol as a capping agent. The electrochemical properties of capsaicin molecule were investigated in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution at pH 6. Under the optimized experimental condition the linear range for capsaicin detection was obtained from 1 μM to 80 μM for the Y
₂
O
₃
/GPE. The effect of variables such as electrolytes, pH and scan rate were optimized to get highest sensitivity. The Y
₂
O
₃
/GPE electrode showed good repeatability and stability towards capsaicin.