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A sensitive mercury (II) sensor based on CuO nanoshuttles/poly(thionine) modified glassy carbon electrode

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Abstract

Shuttle-like copper oxide (CuO) was prepared by a hydrothermal decomposition process. The resulting material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It was then immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode modified with a film of poly(thionine). A pair of well-defined and reversible redox peaks for Hg(II) was observed with the resulting electrode in pH 7.0 solutions. The anodic and cathodic peak potentials occurred at 0.260 V and 0.220 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively. The modified electrode displayed excellent amperometric response to Hg(II), with a linear range from 40 nM to 5.0 mM and a detection limit of 8.5 nM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The sensor exhibited high selectivity and reproducibility and was successfully applied to the determination of Hg(II) in water samples.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20775002) for financial support. The work was supported by Program for Innovative Research Team in Anhui Normal University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anhui Key Laboratory of chemo-Biosening, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241000, People’s Republic of China

    Zhaojing Yin, Jiajia Wu & Zhousheng Yang

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  1. Zhaojing Yin
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  2. Jiajia Wu
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  3. Zhousheng Yang
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Correspondence to Zhousheng Yang.

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Yin, Z., Wu, J. & Yang, Z. A sensitive mercury (II) sensor based on CuO nanoshuttles/poly(thionine) modified glassy carbon electrode. Microchim Acta 170, 307–312 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-010-0359-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-010-0359-4

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