Ferulic acid detection in honey using carbon paste electrode modified by C-C3N4/Li2CoMn3O8 nanocomposite

[Display omitted] •Modification of carbon paste electrode with synthesised C-C3N4/Li2CoMn3O8 nanocomposite (C-C3N4/LCMO/CPE).•Characterization of Li2CoMn3O8 and C-C3N4 nanocomposite with FT-IR, FE-SEM and XRD.•Electrochemical behavior investigation of C-C3N4/LCMO/CPE to detect the ferulic acid (FA) by CV and DPV methods.•The electron transfer coefficient α = 0.68, detection limit 0.0036 µM in the concentration range of 0.009–3.000 µM and 5.00–100 µM were obtained for FA detection.•The diffusion coefficient (D = 3.45 × 10−6 cm2.s−1) was obtained for FA on the surface of C-C3N4/LCMO/CPE.•The fabricated Li2CoMn3O8/C-C3N4/CPE sensor was used to determine FA in honey samples. Honey is regarded as a valuable food commodity which has many and varied components, including phenolic compounds. Ferulic acid (FA) is one of these compounds, which possesses activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, haemolytic, antiviral, anti-cancer, etc. In view of these unique characteristics, a quick, sensitive, simple and inexpensive method for FA identification is required. This research developed a novel electrochemical sensor for measuring FA in honey samples. The sensor utilizes a C-C3N4/Li2CoMn3O8 nanocomposite modified carbon paste electrode (C-C3N4/LCMO/CPE) to enhance the sensitivity and detection. The synthesized nanocomposite exhibits remarkable properties, featuring an abundance of electrochemically active sites and enhanced electron transfer rates, making it ideal for developing advanced electrochemical sensors. The XRD, SEM and EDX analysis were used to examine and look like the synthesised nanocomposite structure. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) methods were used to evaluate the electrochemical behavior of C-C3N4/LCMO/CPE sensor for FA detection and optimized by adjusting pH, and potential scan rate. FA was measured in a phosphate buffered saline (PBS; 0.1 M, pH 4.0) by DPV with the detection limit of 3.6 nM and quantitative limit of 0.009 µM in the linear response ranges of 0.009–3.000 and 5.00–100 µM. Chronoamperometry was utilized to calculate the diffusion coefficient of FA (D = 3.45 (±0.11) × 10−6 cm2.s−1) on the surface of the C-C3N4/LCMO/CPE, as well as the electron transfer coefficient (α = 0.68). The sensor’s high sensitivity for accurately assessing FA in real samples was demonstrated by recovery values ranging from 96.96 to 102.36 %.