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Electrochemical detection of zinc oxide nanoparticles in water contamination analysis based on surface catalytic reactivity

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Abstract

An electroanalytical method for determining the concentration of ZnO nanoparticles (< 50 nm) in aqueous dispersion has been developed. The nanoparticles are first allowed to coat a screen-printed electrode by air-drying, which provides a significant magnification of the reduction current for KCl electrolyte at negative potentials. Phenol is next added as a chemical probe for electrochemical analysis by cyclic voltammetry. Measurement of the reduction current at an applied potential of − 0.3 V provides adequate sensitivity for the indirect quantification of ZnO nanoparticles down to a low concentration of 0.1 mg/mL. Other nanoparticles such as TiO2 and CeO2 do not produce any similar reduction peak. Furthermore, the irreversible oxidation peak at + 0.6 V and the charge storage capacity are both linearly proportional to ZnO concentrations (below 0.2 mg/mL) and can afford a detection limit of 0.01 mg/mL nanoparticles. Hence, the new method comprising three simultaneous measurements is good for both the identification and quantification of ZnO nanoparticles.

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Funding

Financial support from NSERC Canada (grant number 315574) is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Ottawa-Carleton Chemistry Institute, Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Wenyu Zhang & Edward P.C. Lai

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  1. Wenyu Zhang
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  2. Edward P.C. Lai
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Correspondence to Edward P.C. Lai.

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Zhang, W., Lai, E.P. Electrochemical detection of zinc oxide nanoparticles in water contamination analysis based on surface catalytic reactivity. J Nanopart Res 22, 95 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-04823-9

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