Well-Dispersed Chitosan-Graphene Quantum Dots Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Sensing Platform

Nanocomposites of chitosan (CS) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were prepared via a simple and reliable approach on the basis of electrostatic attraction and H-bondings between CS and GQDs. The nanocomposites of CS and GQDs (CS-GQDs) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (BT-IR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), exhibiting a well-dispersed status of the GQDs nanofillers in the CS matrix. The CS-GQDs modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) combined with in situ plated Bi film was used as the sensing platform for sensitive and simultaneous determination of Zn2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ for the first time, opening a new avenue to monitor trace heavy metal ions precisely and rapidly. (C) 2015 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.