A study of the determination of Cu(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry on a novel nylon/carbon fiber electrode

In this work we report a new electrode material formed by injection-moulding of a conducting polymer consisting of carbon fibers in a Nylon matrix. This material is highly conductive, inexpensive, easy to mould in different shapes and requires minimal pretreatment. The electrode was tested as a mercury-free sensor for the trace determination of Cu(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). The deposition and stripping behavior of copper on the conducting material was initially studied by cyclic voltammetry and the chemical and instrumental parameters of the determination were investigated. The electrode has been shown to be suitable for the determination of Cu(II) in the range 8 mug L-1 to 30 mg L-1 (with deposition times ranging from 30 s to 10 min) with a relative standard deviation of 2.2% (at the 0.5 mg L-1 level) and a limit of detection of 8 mug L-1 Cu(II) for 10 min of accumulation (at a S/N ratio of 5). The electrode was, finally, applied to the determination of copper in tap-water, pharmaceutical tablets and bovine serum with recoveries of 97.4, 94.9 and 93.4%, respectively.