Electrochemistry and voltammetric determination of tannic acid on a single-wall carbon nanotube-coated glassy carbon electrode

The voltammetric behavior of tannic acid (TA) on a single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry. TA can generate a well-defined anodic peak on the modified electrode at around 0.42 V (vs. SCE) in 0.10 M phosphate buffer solutions (pH = 4.0). The electrochemical reaction involves 1e transfer, accompanied by one proton. The electrode process is controlled by adsorption. The parameters affecting the response of TA, such as solution pH, accumulation time and accumulation potential are optimized for the determination of TA. Under the optimum conditions, the peak current changes linearly with the TA concentration in the range of 5.0 × 10−8–1.0 × 10−6 M. The lowest detectable concentration of TA is 8.0 × 10−9 M after 180 s accumulation. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of TA in tea and beer samples. In addition, the influence of potential interferents is examined. In the presence of bovine serum albumin, the peak current of TA decreases linearly due to the formation of a super-molecular complex.