Lanthanum doped copper ferrite as efficient Electrocatalyst for simultaneous detection of Bentazone and Diuron in vegetable samples.

Bentazon (BTZ) and diuron (DU) are the most widely used herbicides in farming to control broadleaf weeds and sedges. The current work adopted an eco-friendly approach to synthesize lanthanum-substituted copper ferrite (CuLaFe2O4) by sol-gel auto-combustion method. Analytical characterization of synthesized CuLaFe2O4 revealed spinel lattice with average surface charge of -26.83 mV. The average pore volume of CuLaFe2O4 was calculated 0.0928 cc/g and particle size less than 50 nm. An efficient electrochemical sensor was fabricated by modifying gold electrode (AuE) with CuLaFe2O4 as (CuLaFe2O4/AuE) for simultaneous detection of BTZ and DU in real water and vegetable samples. The fabricated CuLaFe2O4/AuE was characterized by cyclic voltammetry which confirm its diffusion controlled kinetics. The developed electrochemical approach showed a linear response in 0.1 M phosphate buffer of pH 7.0 within dynamic range of 0.005-50 μM and 0.01-820 μM with 0.97 and 0.17 nM detection limits for BTZ and DU, respectively.