Disposable Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes-Based Plasticizer-Free Solid-Contact Pb2+-Selective Electrodes with a Sub-PPB Detection Limit †

Abstract

Potentiometric plasticizer-free solid-contact Pb2+-selective electrodes based on copolymer methyl methacrylate-n-butyl acrylate (MMA-BA) as membrane matrix and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as intermediate ion-to-electron transducing layer have been developed. The disposable electrodes were prepared by drop-casting the copolymer membrane onto a layer of MWCNTs, which deposited on golden disk electrodes. The obtained electrodes exhibited a sub-ppb level detection limit of 10−10 mol·L−1. The proposed electrodes demonstrated a Nernstian slope of 29.1 ± 0.5 mV/decade in the linear range from 2.0 × 10−10 to 1.5 × 10−3 mol·L−1. No interference from gases (O2 and CO2) or water films was observed. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the fabricated electrodes was compared to that of plasticizer-free Pb2+-selective electrodes without MWCNTs as intermediated layers. The plasticizer-free MWCNTs-based Pb2+-selective electrodes can provide a promising platform for Pb(II) detection in environmental and clinical application.