Electrodeposited antimony and antimony–gold nanocomposite modified carbon paste electrodes for the determination of heavy metal ions

Abstract

Antimony (Sb) film was electrodeposited on the surface of a carbon paste electrode (CPE) for the determination of heavy metal ions such as Cd, Pb and Cu. An ex situ analytical method based on this Sb film modified CPE was proposed for the determination of heavy metal ions. While the deposition of the Sb film was performed in a 0.02 M HCl solution, the determination of heavy metal ions was performed in a sodium acetate medium. For the determination of Cu, the pH of the solution was the most crucial factor and was optimised to a value of 6. For the determination of Hg, an antimony and gold nanocomposite (Sb–Au nanocomposite) was co-deposited over the surface of a carbon paste electrode. The modified electrodes were characterised using SEM and EDS measurements. The SEM measurements of Sb–Au nanocomposites show a dendrimer type of morphology. The three sigma detection limits of Pb, Cd, Cu and Hg were determined to be 2.65, 2.32, 9.73, and 0.052 μg L⁻¹, respectively. Finally, the method was applied for the determination of Cd, Pb, Cu and Hg in real water samples.