Simultaneous Voltammetric Determination of Mefenamic Acid and Paracetamol using Graphene Nanosheets/Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

A new modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) was constructed based on nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) and graphene nanosheets (Gr) for simultaneous determination of paracetamol (PCM) and mefenamic acid (MFA) in aqueous media and pharmaceutical dosage forms. NiONPs were synthesized via a simple and inexpensive technique and characterized using X-ray diffraction method. Scanning electron microscopy was used for the characterization of the morphology of modified carbon paste electrode (NiONPs/Gr/CPE). Voltammetric studies suggest that the NiONPs and Gr provide a synergistic augmentation that can increase current responses by improvement of electron transfers of these compounds on the NiONPs/Gr/CPE surface. Using cyclic voltammetry, the NiONPs/Gr/CPE showed good sensitivity and selectivity for the determination of PCM and MFA in individually or mixture standard samples in the linear range of $0.1-30{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$. The resulted limit of detection and limit of quantification were 20 and $60ng\;mL^{-1}$ for PCM, 24 and $72ng\;mL^{-1}$ for MFA, respectively. The analytical performance of the NiONPs/Gr/CPE was evaluated for the determination of PCM and MFA in pharmaceutical dosage forms with satisfactory results.