Cadmium determination in phosphate fertiliser using a PAN-Nafion® modified glassy carbon electrode by stripping voltammetry

Abstract

A simple method for the determination of trace cadmium (Cd) (II), using a disposable 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol [PAN]-Nafion®-coated glassy carbon electrode, has been developed. The modified electrode exhibited a significant improvement on both sensitivity and selectivity for Cd (II) determination, compared with a bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE), a PAN-coated GCE (PAN-GCE), and a Nafion®-coated GCE (Nafion® GCE). Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) was performed, in 0.05 M potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) buffer medium, after Cd (II) ion accumulation. The Cd(II) ion accumulated on the PAN-Nafion® surface of the glassy carbon working electrode through the formation of a chemical complex at an open circuit. The modified GCE with Cd (II) complex was then transferred to a 0.1 M KI solution and subjected to an electrochemical stripping procedure. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was employed to confirm the successful stepwise assembly procedure for the modified electrode. The structure of PAN-Nafion® on the surface-modified electrode was characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). System variables were optimised to yield the most suitable conditions, including the pH and concentration of the accumulation medium, deposition potential, deposition time, and amount of coated PAN-Nafion®. The quantitative analysis of contaminated cadmium in phosphate fertiliser samples was performed. The results obtained from the proposed method agree well with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrophotometry (ICP-OES).