Composites of porous carbon and copper-based nanoparticles for the electrochemical analysis of chemical oxygen demand. (June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Duan, W.; Torras, M.; Roig, A.; Fernández-Sánchez, C.; Gich, M.
• Is Part Of: Materials today chemistry. Volume 24(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Subjects: Cu or Cu2O-modified carbon electrodes -- One-pot synthesis -- COD -- Electrochemical sensors; Chemical oxygen demand (COD) -- Urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTP) -- Carbon paste electrode (CPE) -- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) -- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) -- X-ray diffraction (XRD) -- Limit of detection (LOD); Chemistry -- Periodicals; Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Materials science -- Periodicals; Chemistry; Materials -- Research; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 660.282
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtchem.2022.100899
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2468-5194

Abstract

Abstract: The intensive monitoring of water quality enforced by new wastewater regulations calls for the developing of fast and low-cost analytical technologies. Electrochemical sensors are poised to become alternative technologies for the sensitive analysis of environmentally relevant chemicals. A prerequisite for this evolution is engineering analyte-specific electrodes which are easily processed and can be mass-produced. This work studies different routes to prepare composites comprising a porous carbon matrix with Cu or Cu2 O nanoparticles as electrodes to analyze chemical oxygen demand (COD) in wastewaters. The materials were prepared by physical mixing of the two components and one-pot chemical synthesis, characterizing their microstructure, porosity, nanoparticle distribution, and crystallinity. Then, their analytical performance was assessed by measuring glucose as a standard analyte and testing three real samples from a wastewater treatment plant. While all the materials performed well in the COD analysis, in excellent agreement with those obtained by the standard dichromate method, a one-pot synthesis approach stands out for its ease of production and analytical response. This one-step liquid processing is scalable and compatible with the industrial manufacturing of electrochemical sensors of planar configuration by screen-printing or microfabrication techniques. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Synthesis of composites of porous carbon and Cu/Cu2 O nanoparticles. Comparative electrochemical performance in the detection of glucose standard analyte. Excellent electrochemical response to chemical oxygen demand in urban wastewaters. Up-scalable method with application to the manufacturing of electrochemical sensors.