Electrochemical determination of trichloroacetic acid using an ionic liquid functionalized graphene–AgPd alloy nanoparticle composite modified electrode with the enhancement effect of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

Abstract

AgPd nanoparticles were assembled on ionic liquid-functionalized graphene by electrostatic interaction to form a graphene–metal composite. The resulting hybrid nanomaterial was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrophotometry. The AgPd nanoparticles were confirmed to be alloy and they were well dispersed on the ionic liquid-functionalized graphene sheets. The hybrid nanomaterial showed striking electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of trichloroacetic acid (TCA). At the hybrid nanomaterial modified glassy carbon electrode, TCA exhibited a cathodic peak at about −0.65 V (vs. SCE) in pH 7 phosphate buffer solution, which was further enhanced by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Under the optimal conditions, the determination of TCA was performed with a linear range of 0.5–50 μM and a detection limit of 0.2 μM (S/N = 3).