Electrochemical Determination of Trace Pb (II) by The Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode Compositing MultiWalled Carbon Nanotubes-Nafion-Bi Film

Abstract

A modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) compositing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Nafion and bismuth film was prepared and applied for the sensitive detection of trace Pb (II). MWCNTs were dispersed into ethanol by ultrasonication in the presence of Nafion and the nanotubes are coated onto the bare GCE. After that, an extra Nafion adhesion agent is added to the electrode. By the in situ plating, a bismuth film was fabricated on the MWCNTs-NA/GCE, making the desired electrode, MWCNTs-NA-Bi/GCE. The modified electrode was characterized by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. A deposition potential of –1.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and a deposition time of 300 s were applied to the working electrode under stirred conditions after optimizing. Nanotubes and Nafion concentrations and pH were carefully optimized to determine trace lead ions by using the electrode as an electrochemical-sensing platform. Nafion effectively increased the stability and adhesivity of the composite film. The MWCNTs-NA-Bi film modified electrode can remarkably increase the anodic peak current of Pb2+. The sensitivity of MWCNTs-NA-Bi/GCE is 4.35 times higher than that of the bare GCE with bismuth film. The prepared electrode showed excellent stability and reproducibility and can be applied for determination of Pb2+ contained wastewater.