Fabrication and characterization of zinc oxide nanorods-modified electrodes using nanoimprint lithography for electrochemical sensing of heavy metal ions

•Thin-film gold electrodes on glass are cost-effective and easily modified.•Nanoimprint lithography increase electrode surface area to volume ratio.•ZnO nanorods significantly improve the performance of electrochemical sensors.•Modified electrode has higher sensitivity for cadmium ions detection. This paper uses the nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technique to present the fabrication and characterization of Zinc oxide nanorods (ZnONRs)-modified electrodes. Characterization of the resulting electrode involved X–ray diffraction, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and Transmission electron microscopy. The electrode surface was modified with ZnONRs using the NIL technique to increase the sensitivity of the electrochemical sensor for detecting small quantities of heavy metal ions, which remain a major concern due to their toxicity and environmental harm. Electrochemical measurements and sensing performance evaluations were conducted to analyze the electrochemical properties and sensitivity of the ZnONRs - modified electrodes. The results demonstrated increased sensitivity towards cadmium ions present in aqueous solutions, and the limit of detection is found to be 20.88 ± 0.9 µM. [Display omitted]