SERS methodology for the quantification of graphene oxide in aqueous samples

Máster Universitario en Investigación Básica y Aplicada en Recursos Cinegéticos.The use of graphene oxide (GO) increases in many products due to its vast number of excellent properties. Applications such as GO filters have proven useful in water treatment. However, there are toxicological studies that show how this compound can be toxic. Therefore, the regulation of this nanomaterial is necessary. Analytical systems must develop to detect and quantify graphene derivatives in different real environments. These techniques must be simple and sensitive enough to control and regulate workspaces and the environment. One of the most sensitive analytical techniques is Raman spectroscopy, specifically its most innovative variant, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Therefore, a new method for detecting and quantifying GO in aqueous samples filtered with graphene filters is showing in this work. The final methodology has been optimized by modifying the following parameters: the best dispersion technique in preparing the substrate, the volume of GO standards, and the peak where the best correlation between concentration and intensity is shown. This methodology was able to detect in the concentration range 0.05 – 2 ppm. The practical limit of quantification achieved with the proposed method was 0.05 ppm. This method shows high reproducibility and repeatability. It offers good selectivity since tests have been performed with two different matrices. In the case of accuracy, the relative error level was less than 13%.Peer reviewe