Selective and sensitive electrochemical determination of Pb 2+ based on highly adsorptive WO x –ethylenediamine nanowires

Abstract

Abstract Inorganic–organic hybrid WO x –ethylenediamine (WO x –EDA) nanowires with high surface-to-volume ratio and abundant amino groups were synthesized for selective and sensitive electrochemical determination of Pb 2 + . The WO x –EDA nanowires possessed a uniform lamellar mesostructure and could disperse evenly in Nafion solution for preparation of WO x –EDA modified electrode with good reproducibility. The modified electrode showed selective response toward Pb 2 + due to the chelating between amino groups and Pb 2 + . The electrochemical characterization and detection of bound Pb 2 + were performed by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. Under optimized conditions, the WO x –EDA-based sensor could detect Pb 2 + directly from 0.01 to 10 μM with a detection of limit down to 3.2 nM. The proposed sensor with WO x –EDA hybrid nanowires exhibited good selectivity and sensitivity, and acceptable stability and reproducibility, showing promising practical application in Pb 2 + determination.