Nanocomposite-graphene based platform for heavy metal detection

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Date

2010

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of the Western Cape

Abstract

This study reports the synthesis of graphene by oxidizing graphite to graphite oxide using H2SO4 and KMnO4 and reducing graphene oxide to graphene by using NaBH4. Graphene was then characterized using FT-IR, TEM, AFM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy and solid state NMR. Nafion-Graphene in combination with a mercury film electrode, bismuth film electrode and antimony film electrode was used as a sensing platform for trace metal analysis in 0.1 M acetate buffer (pH 4.6) at 120 s deposition time, using square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Detection limits were calculated using 3σblank/slope. For practical applications recovery studies was done by spiking test samples with known concentrations of metal ions and comparing the results to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). This was then followed by real sample analyses.

Description

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Dept. of Chemistry)

Keywords

Square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry, Heavy metal detection, Trace metal analysis, Thin metal film, Glassy carbon electrode, Detection limit, Nanocomposite, Graphene, Nafion, Metal sensor

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