Solubilization of carbon nanotubes by cellulose xanthate toward the fabrication of enhanced amperometric detectors

Negatively charged cellulose xanthate was employed as a solubilizing agent of carbon nanotubes to prepare a highly stable aqueous suspension. The obtained mixture was subsequently allowed to coagulate on disc electrodes in sulfuric acid solution to prepare carbon nanotube–cellulose composite modified electrodes as sensitive amperometric detectors of capillary electrophoresis. The structure and morphology of the prepared carbon nanotube–cellulose composite were investigated by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The results indicated that carbon nanotubes were well dispersed and embedded throughout the regenerated cellulose to form an interconnected carbon nanotube network on the base electrodes. The performance of the unique carbon nanotube-based detectors was demonstrated by separating and detecting four phenolic compounds in combination with capillary electrophoresis. The novel carbon nanotube-based detectors offered significantly lower operating potentials, substantially enhanced signal-to-noise characteristics, and lower expense of operation.