Iranian researchers from University of Mazandaran applied nanotechnology to produce a sensor to detect oxalic acid in natural samples.
The sensor has a low detection limit and has been produced through a simple and cost-efficient method. The sensor has been produced and studied at laboratorial scale.
Oxalic acid converts into oxalate in the body, and it prevents the sedimentation of calcium in bones by sticking to it. In other words, it causes calcium to leave the body. It also may result in the formation of oxalate stones in kidneys and bladder.
Based on the researchers, efforts have been made in this research to produce a nanoporous structure through a simple and cheap method. The main application of the nanostructure is to use it in the production of electrochemical sensors to measure oxalic acid in natural samples through voltammetry methods.
The proposed electrochemical sensor is produced through a simple and cost-efficient method, and it has high accuracy in the electrochemical measurement of oxalic acid due to the natural properties of carbon paste electrode and catalytic characteristics of Pd-SBA-15 silica nanoporous structure used in the sensor. Repeatability and appropriate stability are among the other advantages of the sensor. The sensor has a detection limit of about 0.4 µM.
The nanostructure has advantages such as high thermal stability and large surface area which make it an appropriate choice for catalytic applications in the production of the electrochemical sensor. In addition, platinum and palladium have the highest catalytic activity in electrochemical reactions.
Results of the research have been published in Sensors and Actuators B, vol. 207, 2015, pp. 291-296.