Manganese Dioxide Nanowires Research Articles

Tailoring MnO2 nanowire defects with K-doping for enhanced electrochemical energy storage in aqueous supercapacitors

The fabrication of supercapacitors with outstanding performance is presented with a distinct defect-rich nanostructures. A one-pot, energy-efficient method for synthesizing defective manganese dioxide nanowires doped with potassium (K0.35MnO2) was developed. The introduction of potassium ions at 35 % birnessite resulted in a significant increase in lattice defects and an improvement in conductivity. Addition of KOH induces a phase transition from α-MnO2 to δ-MnO2. These imperfections result in a greater quantity of active sites, which are crucial for the process of energy storage. The K0.35MnO2 structure demonstrates a 405F/g increased capacity at a current density of 1 A/g. The asymmetric supercapacitor (K0.35MnO2/AC) that was manufactured exhibits a capacitance of 106.4F/g when operating at 1 A/g, while maintaining a maximum energy density of 71.5 Wh kg−1 and a power density of 672 W kg−1. Furthermore, 92.7 % of the initial capacitance of the device is retained even after 8,000 cycles at 20 A/g. This study presents novel insights into the production of defective materials for energy storage applications through the utilization of a one-pot process as opposed to the multi-step method. In order to produce high-performance supercapacitors for practical applications, the results indicate that defect engineering is a crucial factor.

High mass loading potassium ion stabilized manganese dioxide nanowire forests for rechargeable Zn batteries

Manganese dioxide (MnO2) represents an ideal cathode material for rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries due to its high theoretical capacity (308 mAh g−1), suitable potential (1.4 V vs. Zn2+/Zn), natural abundance, and negligible toxicity. However, the capacity and rate capability of MnO2 deteriorate significantly in thick electrodes owing to its low electrical and ionic conductivities. Herein, we report the design of high mass loading potassium ion stabilized α-MnO2 (K0.133MnO2) nanowire forests on carbon cloth through a seed-assisted hydrothermal method for Zn batteries. The vertically aligned K0.133MnO2 nanowire forests with uninterrupted charge transport afford a high area capacity of 3.54 mAh cm−2 and a capacity retention of 79.2% over 1000 cycles in aqueous electrolyte. Moreover, the high area capacity and cyclability can be readily transferred to quasi-solid-state devices.

Facile Preparation of Carbon Nanotubes/Cellulose Nanofibrils/Manganese Dioxide Nanowires Electrode for Improved Solid-Sate Supercapacitor Performances.

Wearable energy storage devices require high mechanical stability and high-capacitance flexible electrodes. In this study, we design a flexible supercapacitor electrode consisting of 1-dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNT), cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), and manganese dioxide nanowires (MnO2 NWs). The flexible and conductive CNT/CNF-MnO2 NWs suspension was first prepared via ultrasonic dispersion approach, followed by vacuum filtration and hot press to form the composite paper electrode. The morphological studies show entanglement between CNT and CNF, which supports the mechanical properties of the composite. The CNT/CNF-MnO2 NWs electrode exhibits lower resistance when subjected to various bending angles (-120-+120°) compared to the CNT/CNF electrode. In addition, the solid-state supercapacitor also shows a high energy density of 38 μWh cm-2 and capacitance retention of 83.2% after 5000 cycles.

High performance aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors developed by interfacial engineering wood-derived nanostructured electrodes

Supercapacitors (SCs) are becoming new candidates in the field of sustainable energy supply. Nevertheless, the unsatisfactory energy density due to the narrow voltage window of the supercapacitor is the main barrier to its practical application. Developing appropriate electrode materials to improve the electrochemical performance of SCs and broaden the operating voltage of supercapacitors are imperative. Herein, compatible interfacial engineering wood-derived nanostructured electrodes for aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors (AASCs) are demonstrated. The 3D carbonized wood matrix serves as a high specific surface area current collector and a porous host for the high capacitive active substance, which is composed of manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanowires and polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles grown uniformly on the porous wall of aligned microchannels (CW@MnO2 and CW@PANI). The resulting electrochemical exchange reactive sites enable the positive electrode to deliver a high areal capacitance of 729 mF cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2 (369 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1). The negative electrode delivers a high areal capacitance of 1721 mF cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2 (848 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1). The areal capacitance of two electrodes is superior to most reported supercapacitor electrodes. Additionally, the assembled CW@MnO2//CW@PANI AASC achieves a desirable energy density (170.84 μWh cm−2 at a power density of 0.5 mW cm−2) because a considerable work function difference between electrodes achieved a 2 V wide voltage window. The results of this study provide a critical benchmark and optimistic incentives to adopt natural hierarchical structures to enhance the performance of new-generation energy-related systems.

Fabrication of ATP/PEG/MnO2NWs composite for solar steam generation with high conversion efficiency

Solar steam generation is widely used in seawater desalination because of its high efficiency and environmental protection. However, using low-cost materials to produce efficient solar evaporators is a severe challenge. In this study, a porous carbon material was prepared by combining Attapulgite (ATP), Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Manganese dioxide nanowires (MnO2NWs) composite, through freeze-drying and high-temperature carbonization. The prepared CAPM aerogel shows a three-dimensional porous structure, which has high evaporation properties in pure water and simulated seawater. Under 1 sun simulated illumination, the pure water evaporation is 1.4574 kg m-2h−1 and the corresponding energy conversion efficiency is 85.94%. The prepared CAPM aerogel showed excellent durability and salt tolerance in 20%Nacl solution, indicating that the CAPM has excellent desalinization performance. In addition, CAPM aerogel has and exhibits super hydrophilic properties, which can transfer water molecules quickly. Due to the advantages of low cost, simple preparation method, and high solar energy conversion efficiency, the CAPM has excellent potential as a photothermal material for solar energy generation.

Tuning the distribution of zinc ions by manganese dioxide ion sieve to realize the uniform deposition of zinc ions on Zn metal anode of aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Zinc (Zn) metal, as a promising anode for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), has attracted much attention owing to its reasonable redox potential and fabulous theoretical capacity. Notwithstanding, Zn dendrites and side reactions generated during charging/discharging seriously inhibit the reversibility of Zn anode of AZIBs. Herein, ultra-long manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanowires with low cost and easy synthesis have been designed as a high-efficiency zinc ion shunt to achieve uniform Zn deposition. The Zn coated with MnO2 protection layer possesses good water wettability, high ionic conductivity (1.3 mS cm−1) and low activation energy (38.2 kJ mol−1). As a result, the Zn@MnO2||Zn@MnO2 symmetric cell exhibits an ultra-long lifespan over 3800 h at 0.5 mA cm−2/0.25 mAh cm−2; for the Zn@MnO2||Zn@MnO2 symmetric cell, the accumulative discharge capacity surpasses 1600 mAh cm−2 and the depth of discharge (DOD) is 34.2% at the harsh conditions of 20 mA cm−2/20 mAh cm−2; and the average coulombic efficiency (CE) of the Zn//Cu@MnO2 asymmetric cell achieves 99.6%. In addition, the Zn@MnO2//NVO full cell possesses an excellent reversible discharge capacity of 176.3 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 2 A g−1. This investigation provides a useful reference for designing high-efficiency zinc ion shunt to realize highly reversible Zn anode for AZIBs.

Rapid Adsorption Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution using Manganese Dioxide Nanowires: Facile Synthesis, Characterization, Kinetics, Thermodynamics and Mechanism Analysis

AbstractManganese dioxide nanomaterials with high crystallinity and purity was prepared quickly by a simple hydrothermal reaction, and the effect of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTAC) on crystal form, morphology and pore structure of manganese dioxide was investigated. Removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution by adsorption onto two manganese dioxide adsorbents was studied. The material characterization results showed that manganese dioxides have (2×2) tunnel structure and nanowires morphology. BET surface area and pore volume of ɑ‐MnO2 (CTAC) was 58.99 m2/g and 0.2081 cm3/g, respectively. The adsorption results showed that pH value had a certain effect on the removal of methylene blue. The adsorption kinetics results indicated that the adsorption rate of ɑ‐MnO2 and ɑ‐MnO2 (CTAC) to methylene blue was very fast, most adsorption was completed within 5 minutes, and the adsorption equilibrium was reached after 2 hours. The removal efficiency of ɑ‐MnO2 and ɑ‐MnO2 (CTAC) was 71.27 % and 78.92 %, respectively. Pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model was better fitted with adsorption data than pseudo‐first‐order model, suggesting adsorption behavior is controlled by chemical processes. Additionally, the free energy change (ΔGΘ) was determined by Van′t Hoff equation is negative, which confirms the adsorption process is spontaneous and feasible. The adsorption mechanism involves a complex process of electrostatic attraction, charge‐independent adsorption, physical adsorption, hydrogen bonding and redox.

Defects rich- Cu-doped MnO2nanowires as an efficient and durable electrode for high performance aqueous supercapacitors

Defect-rich nanostructures offer unique opportunity for the fabrication of high-performance supercapacitors. In this work, a one pot and energy saving technique was designed to synthesize faulty copper doped manganese dioxide nanowires (CuxMnO2 where x = 0, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.1). The addition of copper ions enhanced the conductivity and caused a considerable rise of defects in the lattice. These defects give an abundance of active sites that play a significant role for energy storage. It is found that Cu0.05MnO2 structure exhibits enhance capacitance of 313 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 as compared to other structures with a capacitance retention of 97.3%. The fabricated asymmetric supercapacitor (CuMO-2/AC) delivers a capacitance of 97 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, achieve a maximum energy density of 53.89 Wh kg−1 at power density of 277.8 W kg−1. Moreover, the device keeps 90.3% of its preliminary capacitance after 10,000 cycles at 10 A g−1. This study reveals fresh information on the manufacturing of defect materials for energy storage applications using one pot process instead of multi steps. The results suggest that defect engineering play an important role for the development of high-performance supercapacitor for practical applications.

Potassium-doped hydrated manganese dioxide nanowires-carbon nanotubes on graphene for high-performance rechargeable zinc-ion batteries

Aqueous rechargeable Zn-ion batteries (ARZIB) are promising candidates for next-generation batteries because of their high safety, low cost, and relatively high capacity. In this study, we developed hydrated and potassium-doped manganese dioxide (MO) nanowires mixed with carbon nanotubes (CNT) on a graphene substrate (hydrated KMO-CNT/graphene) for ARZIB. A simple polyol process using poly(ethyl glycol), KMnO4, CNT, and graphene was utilized to fabricate hydrated KMO-CNT/graphene. MnO2 nanowires with diameters of 15–25 nm possess a high specific capacity with a short diffusion path. The intercalated K ions and hydrates in the layered MnO2 nanowires maintained the MO structure during the charge and discharge processes, whereas carbon nanomaterials (CNT and graphene) enhanced the conductivity of the material. Consequently, hydrated KMO-CNT/graphene demonstrated good ARZIB performance. A high capacity of 359.8 mAh g–1 at 0.1 A g–1, and at a high current density of 3.0 A g–1, a capacity of 129 mAh g–1 with 77% retention after 1000 cycles, were achieved.

Laminated PET-based membranes with sweat transportation and dual thermal insulation properties

Wearable polyester fiber materials with excellent sweat transportation and enhanced thermal management properties have received increasing attention in functional materials and energy saving fields because of not only for wearing comfort but also for developing advanced energy-saving materials. Herein, this work presents an effective and sustainable strategy for fabrication of laminated CNTs-MnO2 nanowires/PET fibers@Ag (CMPFA) membranes using waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric, manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanowires, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silver nanoparticles as building blocks through electrospinning, vacuum filtration and subsequent magnetron sputtering processes, as well as its application in personal thermal management. The results indicated that simulated sweat on the PET fibers@Ag side can penetrate quickly into the CNTs-MnO2 nanowires side within 2.4 s, implying the excellent sweat transport properties of laminated CMPFA membranes. More importantly, the synergistic thermal management properties can be obtained via infrared radiation and absorb sunlight. Compared with bare PET fibers membranes, the laminated CMPFA membranes exhibited excellent thermal insulation properties. The surface temperature of laminated CMPFA membranes is 11.9 °C higher than that of bare PET fibers membranes after 50 s of simulate sunlight exposure. In addition, the laminated CMPFA membranes show antibacterial properties, breathability, and water vapor permeability, which is beneficial to improving the comfort of wearer. This study shows that the fabrication of flexible wearable laminated membranes for personal thermal management application can be extended for the fabricated of other waste plastic based-materials with controlled structures and desired functions for various applications.

Wet spinning of fiber-shaped flexible Zn-ion batteries toward wearable energy storage

High-performance flexible one-dimensional (1D) electrochemical energy storage devices are crucial for the applications of wearable electronics. Although much progress on various 1D energy storage devices has been made, challenges involving fabrication cost, scalability, and efficiency remain. Herein, a high-performance flexible all-fiber zinc-ion battery (ZIB) is fabricated using a low-cost, scalable, and efficient continuous wet-spinning method. Viscous composite inks containing cellulose nanofibers/carbon nanotubes (CNFs/CNTs) binary composite network and either manganese dioxide nanowires (MnO2 NWs) or commercial Zn powders are utilized to spinning fiber cathodes and anodes, respectively. MnO2 NWs and Zn powders are uniformly dispersed in the interpenetrated CNFs/CNTs fibrous network, leading to homogenous composite inks with an ideal shear-thinning property. The obtained fiber electrodes demonstrate favorable uniformity and flexibility. Benefiting from the well-designed electrodes, the assembled flexible fiber-shaped ZIB delivers a high specific capacity of 281.5 mAh g−1 at 0.25 A g−1 and displays excellent cycling stability over 400 cycles. Moreover, the wet-spun fiber-shaped ZIBs achieve ultrahigh gravimetric and volumetric energy densities of 47.3 Wh kg−1 and 131.3 mWh cm−3, respectively, based on both cathode and anode and maintain favorable stability even after 4000 bending cycles. This work offers a new concept design of 1D flexible ZIBs that can be potentially incorporated into commercial textiles for wearable and portable electronics.

Selective ion transport of catalytic hybrid aerofilm interlayer for long-stable Li-S batteries

Realistic prospects of high-energy and compact lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries promising as next-generation energy storages are hindered by their poor cycle life and severe self-discharge impelled through the polysulfide dissolution. Here, we report a feasible strategy to effectively suppress polysulfide and selectively control ions transport applying a new-type ultralight aerofilm membrane for practical Li-S batteries. Catalytic hybrid aerofilm interlayer (HAI) consisting of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene and manganese dioxide nanowires suffices physical shield and sieve polysulfides through sulphophilicity polymer within the gaps of manganese dioxide layers, while also imparting chemical anchoring and catalysis of Mn-O. Such co-operative synergetic effects of the hybrid aerofilm interlayer for the Li-S cells enable the realization of a high discharge capacity of 1189 mAh g−1 at the end of the 500th cycle with a capacity retention of over 92.3 %, which is a 671 % improvement over sulfur battery with NO interlayer. Moreover, the aerofilm interlayer provides Li-dendritic growth inhibition and self-discharge prevention to retain the cycle life and safety of the device. This study presents a forward-looking strategy for developing an ultralight-compact and high-power Li-S battery.

A novel cell-based electrochemical biosensor based on MnO2 catalysis for antioxidant activity evaluation of anthocyanins

The rapid, efficient, and objective evaluation of active antioxidant components is of great significance for the basic research of natural products and food quality. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system-based electrochemical biosensor for H2O2 detection based on the relationship between the H2O2 extracellular level and the current signal response was developed, which could be used for evaluating the antioxidant activity of active compounds. To increase the analytical selectivity and the response specificity, an A549 cells/hydrogel@carbon nanofibers (CNFs)/manganese dioxide nanowires (MnO2NWs)/gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-modified electrochemical biosensor was successfully prepared based on the catalytic reaction between the response of H2O2 and MnO2 to the current signal. Under the optimized modification parameters of the working electrode surface, a good linear correlation was found between the oxidation peak current (Ip) value and the H2O2 concentration induced by paraquat. The linear equation was Ip(μA) = 58.199CH2O2+5.825 (CH2O2 for H2O2 concentration) with R2 = 0.993, and the detection limit of H2O2 was 0.02 μM, which indicated high sensitivity, satisfactory reproducibility, and stability of this method. The biosensor was successfully used to evaluate and grade the antioxidant activity of 16 anthocyanins and their glycosidic derivatives, indicating the feasibility of this method for the antioxidant evaluation of natural products. This proposed method provides a new way for evaluating the in vitro efficacy of natural products based on their physiological activities and for designing a new sensing platform.

Manganese dioxide nanostructures reinforced epoxy nanocomposites: a study of mechanical properties

ABSTRACT Manganese dioxide nanoflowers (MnO2-F) and nanowires (MnO2-W) are synthesized and MnO2 nanostructures reinforced (0.1 wt.%) epoxy composites are fabricated. The reinforcing effects are studied through tensile, flexural, and impact tests. SEM, TEM, EDAX, XRD, and FTIR characterization techniques are used to understand the interaction between epoxy and the MnO2 nanofiller. It is observed that MnO2 nanostructures have greatly enhanced the mechanical properties of epoxy composites. The tensile strength of EP/MnO2-F composites has improved by 73%, percentage elongation increased for EP/MnO2-F composites by 173%, and flexural strength of EP/MnO2-W has improved by 15%, respectively. Impact strength increased by 35% for EP/MnO2-F nanocomposites.

Polypyrrole-Coated Manganese Dioxide Nanowires and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as High-Performance Electrodes for Zinc-Ion Batteries

Free-standing films based on MnO2@multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)@Polypyrrole (PPy) have been fabricated for aqueous zinc-ion batteries. A simple hydrothermal method was adopted to synthesize ß-MnO2 nanowires. PPy coated the ß-MnO2 nanowires@MWCNTs composite by an in-situ polymerization process. Free-standing films of ß-MnO2@MWCNTs@PPy composite were prepared by a convenient vacuum-assisted filtration. A zinc-ion battery is fabricated with a zinc foil anode and a ß-MnO2@MWCNTs@PPy composite cathode. The Zn//ß-MnO2@ MWCNTs@PPy system in ZnSO4@MnSO4 aqueous electrolyte exhibits high electrochemical performances, such as an initial capacity of 258.5 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1, and about 74.6% retention after 100 cycles with near 100% Coulombic efficiency. The strategy of conductive polymer coating makes the technology of rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) very promising and provides opportunities of organic-inorganic composite materials for energy storage applications.

Novel fabrication method of hierarchical planar micro-supercapacitor via laser-induced localized growth of manganese dioxide nanowire arrays

Micro-supercapacitors are enormously needed, owing to increasing energy demands in miniaturizing mobile electronic devices. Manganese dioxide (MnO2) is one of the most popular micro-supercapacitor electrode materials that can be applied with various fabrication methods. However, in case of the conventional fabrication of MnO2-based micro-supercapacitor, fabrication methods require complex multiple steps or sophisticated patterning techniques for MnO2 selective micro-patterning. Thus, it is difficult to improve space utilization of micro-supercapacitor and apply them to further another application. In this study, we introduce a novel fabrication method of hierarchical planar micro-supercapacitor using MnO2 nanowire (NW) arrays. Using laser-induced hydrothermal growth (LIHG) process, MnO2 NW arrays are vertically grown on selective area in the desired location under ambient conditions. For the stable growth of vertically aligned MnO2 NW array using LIHG process, various laser parameters, including irradiation time and power, are adjusted. Afterward, the vertically grown MnO2 NW arrays are applied to fabricate hierarchical planar micro-supercapacitor, showing high areal capacitance of 227 mF cm−2 (at 1 mA cm−2) in terms of footprint area on tiny 2D plane. Thus, the proposed approach can be considered as a new fabrication method for capacitance enhancement of planar micro-supercapacitor.

Revealing the Atomic Structures of Exposed Lateral Surfaces for Polymorphic Manganese Dioxide Nanowires

Polymorphic 1D MnO2 nanostructures are widely applied in fields such as catalysis, sensing, and energy storage with the functionality mainly determined by the atomic patterns of their laterally exposed facets, which largely remain unclear so far. Herein, by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging directly along their axial directions, the atomic structures of the outmost lateral facets of polymorphic MnO2 nanowires are disclosed. To generalize the findings, four most commonly seen phases with characteristic tunnel structures are targeted, i.e., β‐, γ‐, α‐, and todorokite(t)‐MnO2, which are synthesized conventionally using a hydrothermal method reported in the literature. Axially imaging these MnO2 nanowires via HRTEM, the {hkl} facets covering the lateral surfaces are accurately indexed, the atomic pattern of each {hkl} facet is revealed, and it is further coupled with the outmost tunnel configuration that can significantly affect the physicochemical property of MnO2 materials via tunnel‐driven mass adsorption/transport. This work provides a reliable reference for atomic modeling of MnO2 to benefit the pursuit of its structure–property relationship; in addition, it can benefit surface engineering strategies to better rationalize the facet growth control with optimized functionality.

The Effect of Sn(II) Precursor on Morphology and Surface Area of as Synthesis SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanotube

Tin oxide nanotubes (STs) were synthesized by the hydrothermal process using manganese dioxide nanowires (MWs) as a template and followed by oxalic acid treatment. The effect of the stannous chloride concentration on the structure and crystallite size of the product were investigated. The phase composition was determined by XRD. Morphologies were revealed by FESEM and TEM. Firstly, manganese dioxide nanowires were fabricated from KMnO4. Then, tin oxide nanoparticles were coated on the wall surfaces of MWs templates. The template was then leached out by oxalic acid treatment. Nanotubular structure of the final product was formed by the agglomeration of the tin oxide nanoparticles coating on the template surfaces. On increasing the stannous chloride amount, crystallite size and the electrochemical properties increased, while the specific surface area decreased.

High sensitive voltammetric sensor for nanomolarity vanillin detection in food samples via manganese dioxide nanowires hybridized electrode

Vanillin is widely used as a flavoring and fragrance enhancer in foods. Rapid detection of vanillin is of vital significance and necessity for food safety. In this work, a sensitive voltammetric sensor to detect trace vanillin of nanomolarity in food samples was demonstrated by using manganese dioxide nanowires hybridized electrode. Firstly, a modified glassy carbon electrode was prepared using manganese dioxide nanowires functionalized reduced graphene oxide as a modifier (MnO2 NWs-rGO/GCE). Then the MnO2 NWs-rGO/GCE were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Vanillin's electrochemical behavior in the solution of 0.1 M H2SO4 was studied in detail. The results showed that the modified electrode had an electrocatalytic activity for vanillin oxidation. The adsorption capacity (Γs) and standard rate constant (ks) on the modified electrode were calculated by chronocoulometry (CC). Subsequently, after systematic investigation of second derivative linear sweep voltammetry (SDLSV) under the optimal conditions, the oxidation peak current was linearly correlated with vanillin concentration in the separate ranges of 0.01–20 μM (R2= 0.9808) and 20–100 μM (R2= 0.9964), yielding the detection limit of 6.0 nM (S/N = 3). In addition, MnO2 NWs-rGO/GCE showed the advantages of surface renewal, excellent reproducibility, good stability, and simple preparation. The method was applied to the nanomolarity determination of vanillin in commercial foods with satisfactory results.

Polyurethane-doped platinum nanoparticles modified carbon paste electrode for the sensitive and selective voltammetric determination of free copper ions in biological samples

Copper ions play an important role in various biochemical and physiological processes. Herein, for the first time, we report and investigate the electrochemical characteristics of polyurethane (PU)-modified electrodes to identify their potential use in sensing of copper ions. Using ferricyanide as the redox probe, PU alone exhibited weak electrochemical signals due to its low electrical conductivity. Therefore, new series of nanocomposites of PU with nano-structured materials such as silver, gold, copper, platinum and magnetic nanoparticles, in addition to the graphene oxide, multi-walled carbon nanotubes and manganese dioxide nanowires were developed, and their electrochemical performances were evaluated as electrode modifiers. The voltammetric signals showed that the electrode modified with PU-doped platinum nanoparticles (PU/Pt NPs) has depicted the highest voltammetric response with well-defined redox peaks. Hence, a full electrochemical assay was optimized and a linear range of copper ions from 100 ng/ml to 1000 ng/ml was achieved, while the calculated values of the limit of detection (LOD) as well limit of quantification (LOQ) were 16.72 ng/ml and 50.66 ng/ml, respectively. Eventually, copper ions were determined and validated in digested serum, urine, and acidified tap water samples, and the atomic force microscopy was used as the reference method for the validation. The developed PU-modified electrodes are cost-effective and depicted high environmental benefits since they allow the accurate detection of copper ions with no prior complicated treatments. Besides, the proposed method found to be highly sensitive and selective, and could be used successfully to determine the trace amounts of copper ions in real biological and environmental samples.