A novel design of engineered multi-walled carbon nanotubes material and its improved performance in simultaneous detection of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry

An engineered multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) material was successfully synthesized via doping nitrogen atoms and grafting thiol groups into activated MWCNTs matrix to improve the electro-chemical sensing platform for detecting lead ions and cadmium ions by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). The structure and morphology of the engineered MWCNTs were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared, Raman spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the engineered MWCNTs exhibited improved dispersibility and selectivity for metal ions detection due to the introduction of nitrogen atoms and thiol groups. In addition, the developed electrode material displayed good repeatability, stability and reproducibility. This study shows the engineered MWCNTs are very promising for potential application in heavy metal ions detection. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.