Ultrasensitive and Simultaneous Electrochemical Determination of Pb2+ and Cd2+ Based on Biomass Derived Lotus Root-Like Hierarchical Porous Carbon/Bismuth Composite

A green and effective strategy to prepare a novel lotus root-like three-dimensional (3D) bismuth/biomass derived activated carbon (Bi@BAC) composite was developed for simultaneous electrochemical sensing of Pb2+ and Cd2+. The BAC supports herein were prepared from naturally-abundant Platanus seeds chemically activation by KOH, with dense and uniform bismuth micro/nanosized particles successfully anchored on the carbon substrate through microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment and subsequent carbothermal reduction process. Simultaneous electrochemical detection of Pb2+ and Cd2+ using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) was performed with the novel composite modified carbon paste electrode (CPE). Under optimized experimental conditions, the Bi@BAC/CPE demonstrated good linear response for both two target metal ions in the concentration range of 0.5 to 50 mu g L-1, with limits of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) of 0.13 and 0.08 mu g L-1 for Pb2+ and Cd2+, respectively. Moreover, the modified electrode displayed high resistance to interference, long-term stability and good reproducibility. The Bi@BAC/CPE also demonstrated satisfactory recovery level for the detection of target metal ions in real water samples. (C) 2020 The Electrochemical Society (ECS). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited.