Gold nanoparticle included graphene oxide modified electrode: picomole detection of metal ions in seawater by stripping voltammetry

We obtained a gold nanomaterial/graphene oxide-modified glassy carbon electrode and characterized it using transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. A response of the electrode using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry for [Pb.sup.2+], [Cu.sup.2+], and [Hg.sup.2+] was found linear in the range from 1 x [10.sup.-7] to 1 x [10.sup.-11] M. The detection limits of [Pb.sup.2+], [Cu.sup.2+] and [Hg.sup.2+] were 0.14, 0.5 and 1.2 pM, respectively. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of [Pb.sup.2+], [Cu.sup.2+] and [Hg.sup.2+] in seawater samples from a coastal region of Anatolia, and the results corresponded well with the values obtained by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Keywords: seawater sample, voltammetry, gold nanomaterial, graphene oxide, heavy metal determination, modified electrode
Determining the chemical composition of seawater is highly important as it is largely related to geological and geochemical processes. Heavy metals and metalloids have great importance in terms of human [...]