Electrochemical detection of nitrate with carbon nanofibers and copper co-modified carbon fiber electrodes. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Guangzhen; Yuan, Hua; Mou, Jinjin; Dai, Enhao; Zhang, Huayu; Li, Zhende; Zhao, Yankun; Dai, Yifeng; Zhang, Xiaoyan
• Is Part Of: Composites communications. Volume 29(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: Carbon fiber electrode -- Carbon nanofiber -- Copper -- Nitrate
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coco.2021.101043
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2452-2139

Abstract

Abstract: Obvious air pollutants are both environmental and health hazards, which is likely to cause respiratory problems in infants and the elderly. Airborne nitrates are a significant part of water-soluble ions in air pollutants. The detection of these nitrate ions would go a long way to help manage and control such ions in air pollutants and their disastrous effects. A critical challenge in the detection of nitrate is the uncontrollable concentration and signal overlapping with other ions. This study aimed at detection of nitrate ion using carbon fibers microelectrodes. A novel copper/carbon nanofibers/carbon fiber microelectrode (Cu/CNFs/CFE) was designed and used to detect nitrates in a simple, inexpensive and facile approach. The prepared Cu/CNFs/CFE has shown an increased sensitivity and a lower limit of detection for nitrate compared to bare CFE. This increase in sensitivity is due to the increased electrode surface area with a Cu/CNFs coating and more mass transport channels with superior electrocatalytic abilities. Under optimal experimental conditions, the Cu/CNFs/CFE demonstrated the detection limit of nitrate was 0.8 μM (S/N = 3) and linear range was 5 μM–8000 μM. Finally, it's pointed out the nitrate content that four air pollutant samples obtained from the cities of Yuci and Taiyuan in Shanxi province of China. Graphical abstract: In this study, novel copper/carbon nanofibers/carbon fiber microelectrodes (Cu/CNFs/CFEs) were fabricated for the detection of nitrates by a simple, inexpensive and facile approach. Due to excellent structural characteristic of CNFs and the electrochemical stability of copper, the Cu/CNFs/CFE method has been shown to increase the sensitivity and lower the limit of detection for nitrate. Image 1 Highlights: The microelectrodes were fabricated for the detection of nitrates by a simple and facile approach. The CFEs were good interference resistance and sensitive and more mass transport channels with superior electrocatalytic abilities. The Cu/CNFs/CFE held great potential for nitrate detection in PM2.5 tested by real air pollutant samples.