Screen-Printed Electrode Modified by Bismuth /Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticle/Ionic Liquid Composite Using Internal Standard Normalization for Accurate Determination of Cd(II) in Soil

Recent advances in the modification of electrodes for trace metal analysis: a review

This review paper summarizes the research published in the last five years on using different compounds and/or materials as modifiers for electrodes employed in trace heavy metal analysis. The main groups of modifiers are identified, and their single or combined application on the surface of the electrodes is discussed. Nanomaterials, film-forming substances, and polymers are among the most used compounds employed mainly in the modification of glassy carbon, screen-printed, and carbon paste electrodes. Composites composed of several compounds and/or materials have also found growing interest in the development of modified electrodes. Environmentally friendly substances and natural products (mainly biopolymers and plant extracts) have continued to be included in the modification of electrodes for trace heavy metal analysis. The main analytical performance parameters of the modified electrodes as well as possible interferences affecting the determination of the target analytes, are discussed. Finally, a critical evaluation of the main findings from these studies and an outlook discussing possible improvements in this area of research are presented.

Screen-printed electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring of heavy metal ion detection

Heavy metal ions (HMIs) are known to cause severe damages to the human body and ecological environment. And considering the current alarming situation, it is crucial to develop a rapid, sensitive, robust, economical and convenient method for their detection. Screen printed electrochemical technology contributes greatly to this task, and has achieved global attention. It enabled the mass transmission rate and demonstrated ability to control the chemical nature of the measure media. Besides, the technique offers advantages like linear output, quick response, high selectivity, sensitivity and stability along with low power requirement and high signal-to-noise ratio. Recently, the performance of SPEs has been improved employing the most effective and promising method of the incorporation of different nanomaterials into SPEs. Especially, in electrochemical sensors, the incorporation of nanomaterials has gained extensive attention for HMIs detection as it exhibits outstanding features like broad electrochemical window, large surface area, high conductivity, selectivity and stability. The present review focuses on the recent progress in the field of screen-printed electrochemical sensors for HMIs detection using nanomaterials. Different fabrication methods of SPEs and their utilization for real sample analysis of HMIs using various nanomaterials have been extensively discussed. Additionally, advancement made in this field is also discussed taking help of the recent literature.

Hydrothermal synthesis of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles for highly sensitive electrochemical detection of sunset yellow

The sunset yellow, as a synthetic food coloring azo dye, was detected in the present work using a new sensitive and selective sensor based on the modification of screen-printed electrode surface with Copper ferrite nanoparticles (CuFe₂O₄/SPE). Thus, a facile hydrothermal protocol was performed to prepare the CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles, followed by characterization applying valid techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Chronoamperometry, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed to determine the electrochemical behavior of as-fabricated sensor. According to the electrochemical findings, a greater anodic peak current was found for the sunset yellow oxidation on the CuFe₂O₄/SPE than that on the unmodified SPE. The electrocatalytic response for the sunset yellow oxidation on the CuFe₂O₄/SPE in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH = 7.0) was effective, with an excellent sensitivity (0.1919 μA μM^-1). There was a linear relationship between the voltammetric current and different sunset yellow concentrations (0.03-100.0 μM). The calculated limit of detection (LOD = 3Sb/m) for the sunset yellow was 0.009 μM.

Self-Assembled Iron Oxide Nanoparticle-Modified APTES-ITO Electrode for Simultaneous Stripping Analysis of Cd(II) and Pb(II) Ions

Carboxyl (−COOH)-stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) synthesized through co-precipitation were used to modify an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode, which was chemically functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) for heavy metal detection. The effect of soaking time (30, 60, 90, and 120 min) of IONP-COOH self-assembled on an APTES-ITO electrode was studied. Cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy were applied to analyze the electrochemical properties and morphologies of IONP-COOH/APTES-ITO modified electrode. The modified electrodes were then employed for the simultaneous detection of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. At 90 min of soaking time, excellent electrochemical performance and larger effective surface area (A_e) were obtained. The linear range for the simultaneous detection of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions using the modified electrode was 10–100 ppb with limits of detection of 0.90 and 0.60 ppb, respectively. The interference study revealed a low interference effect from Cr(III), Hg(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Mg(II), Na(I), and K(I) toward the simultaneous detection of Cd(II) and Pb(II). Finally, the IONP-COOH/APTES-ITO-modified electrode was applied to analyze seawater samples and was able to simultaneously detect Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions.

Application of Nanotechnology in Analysis and Removal of Heavy Metals in Food and Water Resources

Toxic heavy metal contamination in food and water from environmental pollution is a significant public health issue. Heavy metals do not biodegrade easily yet can be enriched hundreds of times by biological magnification, where toxic substances move up the food chain and eventually enter the human body. Nanotechnology as an emerging field has provided significant improvement in heavy metal analysis and removal from complex matrices. Various techniques have been adapted based on nanomaterials for heavy metal analysis, such as electrochemical, colorimetric, fluorescent, and biosensing technology. Multiple categories of nanomaterials have been utilized for heavy metal removal, such as metal oxide nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, graphene and derivatives, and carbon nanotubes. Nanotechnology-based heavy metal analysis and removal from food and water resources has the advantages of wide linear range, low detection and quantification limits, high sensitivity, and good selectivity. There is a need for easy and safe field application of nanomaterial-based approaches.

Simultaneous determination of heavy metals by an electrochemical method based on a nanocomposite consisting of fluorinated graphene and gold nanocage

Fluorinated graphene/gold nanocage (FGP/AuNC) nanocomposite was developed for simultaneous determination of heavy metals using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. Under optimized conditions, with a buffer pH of 5.0, a deposition potential of - 1.25 V, and a deposition time of 140 s, the method can obtain the best results. The FGP/AuNC electrode exhibits low limits of detection (0.08, 0.09, 0.05, 0.19, 0.01 μg L^-1), wide linear ranges (6-7000, 4-6000, 6-5000, 4-4000, 6-5000 μg L^-1), and well-separated stripping peaks (at - 1.10, - 0.77, - 0.50, - 0.01, 0.31 V vs Ag/AgCl) towards Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Hg²⁺, respectively. Furthermore, the FGP/AuNC electrode is also used for simultaneous determination of Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Hg²⁺ in real samples (peanut, rape bolt, and tea). Highly consistent results are found between the electrochemical method and atomic fluorescence spectrometry/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of heavy metal ions in agricultural food. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of simultaneous determination of heavy metal ions by electrochemical method. The FGP/AuNC (fluorinated graphene/gold nanocage) electrode is used to simultaneous determination of Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Hg²⁺ by square wave anode stripping voltammetry.

Screen-printed disposable electrodes using graphite-polyurethane composites modified with magnetite and chitosan-coated magnetite nanoparticles for voltammetric epinephrine sensing: a comparative study

Disposable screen-printed electrodes based on the use of graphite-polyurethane composites modified with magnetite nanoparticles (MNP-SPE) or chitosan-coated magnetite nanoparticles (CHMNP-SPE) are described. The MNP and CHMNP were synthetized and comparatively characterized by TEM, XRD, FTIR, and TGA/DTG. The MNP-SPE and CHMNP-SPE were characterized by SEM and EDX. After optimization of the MNP percentage in MNP-SPE, the materials were electrochemically characterized by cyclic voltammetry, EIS, and chronocoulometry. The electrodes were tested for their performance towards sensing of epinephrine (EP). The CHMNP-SPE is found to have better electrochemical responses in comparison to the MNP-SPE. This is assumed to be due to the chitosan coating which also protects the MNPs from oxidation under air and at different applied potential fields. The performances of the MNP-SPE and CHMNP-SPE were studied by DPV after optimization of equilibration time and DPV parameters. Response is linear in the 0.1-0.8 μM EP concentration range, at 0.03 V (vs. pseudo-Ag/AgCl), and the detection limit is 25 nM for the MNP-SPE. The linear response for the CHMNP-SPE was 0.1-0.6 μM, at 0.0 V (vs. pseudo-Ag/AgCl), and a LOD of 14 nM was achieved. The devices were used for the quantification of EP in synthetic urine and in cerebrospinal synthetic fluids. Recoveries from spiked samples are in the 95.6-102.2% range for the CHMNP-SPE and in the 98.3-109% range for MNP-SPE. The stability of the respective sensors was investigated and compared over a period of 5 months. The EP peak currents were found to decrease by only 4% for the CHMNP-SPE, while the MNP-SPE lost 23% of its EP peak current. Accordingly, the CHMNP-SPE was chosen as the most stable and sensitive sensor for EP. Graphical abstract Schematic figure of modification of a graphite-polyurethane screen-printed composite electrode with magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) and chitosan-coated magnetite nanoparticles (CHMNPs) for the voltammetric determination of epinephrine (EP). Improved response of CHMNP-SPE (black voltammogram) in comparison to MNP-SPE (red voltammogram) was attributed to the protection of MNP from oxidation.