New strategy for fabricating Cd(II) sensing electrochemical interface based on enhanced adsorption followed by redox processes: Ferro-cerium oxide nanocomposite as an example

Abstract

Cd(II) is a biologically active element that requires rapid and reliable monitoring for its pollution control. We designed the electrochemical sensing nanocomposite with enhanced adsorption followed by redox processes, which was synthesized by incorporating ferric ions into cerium oxide substrate（hereafter CeFe2O5）via the sol-gel combustion method. The CeFe2O5 nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (CeFe2O5/GCE) was used for selective detection of Cd(II) by square wave anode stripping voltammetry (SWASV). At optimal experimental conditions, the observed sensitivity and detection limits of CeFe2O5/GCE are 31.68 μA/μM and 0.94 nM, respectively. Our CeFe2O5/GCE exhibits excellent stability (RSD 3.34%) and analytical precision for Cd(II). The CeFe2O5/GCE can also be used in trace detection of heavy metal ions spiked in environmental samples. The nanocomposites with high electrochemical performance would be of great interest for constructing novel sensing platforms for monitoring heavy metal ions in environment.