Electrochemical determination of imidacloprid using poly(carbazole)/chemically reduced graphene oxide modified glassy carbon electrode

Polycarbazole (PCz) and PCz/chemically reduced graphene oxide (PCz/CRGO) modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) were fabricated by a simple procedure and characterized. The modified electrodes based on PCz or PCz/CRGO were used as sensing electrodes for the voltammetric investigation of imidacloprid (IMI) insecticides. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were used as sensing techniques. Both of modified electrodes have good electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of IMI. The presence of CRGO enhanced the electrochemical signal of the modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), which increased the sensitivity of the sensor. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) values for CV are 0.22 mu M and 0.74 mu M, respectively; while those values for DPV are 0.44 mu M and 1.52 mu M, respectively. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.