A Robust Electrochemical Sensor Based on Butterfly-shaped Silver Nanostructure for Concurrent Quantification of Heavy Metals in Water Samples

Maryam Naseri*, Mohsen Mohammadniaei, Koustuv Ghosh, Subrata Sarkar, Ravi Sankar, Subhankar Mukherjee, Souvik Pal, Ehsan Ansari Dezfouli, Arnab Halder, Jixin Qiao, Nabarun Bhattacharyya, Yi Sun*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

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Abstract

Heavy metals in drinking water have become a severe threat to human health. Detection of heavy metals has been achieved by electrochemical sensors that are modified with complex nanocomposites; however, reproducibility of these sensors is still a big challenge when applied in commercial settings. Here, a simple, very robust, and sensitive electrochemical sensor based on a screen-printed carbon electrode modified with butterfly-shaped silver nanostructure (AgNS/SPCE) has been developed for the concurrent determination of cadmium (II), lead (II), copper (II), and mercury (II) in water samples. The electrochemical behavior of the modified electrodes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The AgNS/SPCE showed distinct peak potentials and a significant increase in the peak currents for all heavy metals, attributed to the high electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity of the synthesized butterfly-shaped AgNS. Moreover, the excellent stability and sensitivity towards simultaneous quantification of heavy metals have been obtained with detection limits of 0.4 ppb, 2.5 ppb, 7.3 ppb, and 0.7 ppb for Cd (II), Pb (II), Cu (II), and Hg (II), respectively. Besides, the constructed sensor was successfully applied to simultaneously quantify target heavy metals in spiked water samples. Owing to excellent sensitivity, high robustness, affordability, and fast response, the presented electrochemical sensor could be incorporated into a portable and miniaturized potentiostat device, making it a promising method for on-site water analysis.
Original languageEnglish
Article number2200114
JournalElectroanalysis
Volume35
Issue number2
Number of pages10
ISSN1040-0397
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Heavy metals
  • Screen-printed carbon electrode
  • Silver nanostructure
  • Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry
  • Concurrent detection

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