Mesoporous carbon-polyaniline electrode: Characterization and application to determination of copper and lead by anodic stripping voltammetry

A new electrode (PANI-MC), obtained by the dispersion of ordered mesoporous carbon (MC) nanoparticles onto polyaniline (PANI) was presented in this paper. The pore structure of the MC material was evaluated using XRD, nitrogen adsorption, TEM and SEM. Electrochemical characterization indicated that the potential shifts toward negative direction. This can be attributed to the porous feature of MC, which imposes resistance for ion migration in mesopores. There was no change in the voltammetric behavior even after the application of successive cycles for PANI-MC electrode, which indicated that PANI-MC electrode exhibited a better physical stability. Finally, anodic stripping voltammetry analysis utilizing the PANI-MC electrode for the determination of the Cu2+ and Pb2+ dissolved in aqueous solution had been demonstrated. The result showed a good linearity between current and concentration from 1.00 × 10−8 to 1.00 × 10−6 M for Cu2+ with a detection limit of 6.00 × 10−9 M, and to that of Pb2+ from 2.00 × 10−8 to 1.00 × 10−6 M with a detection limit of 4.00 × 10−9 M.

► PANI-MC (polyaniline-mesoporous carbon) electrode was prepared by dispersion of MC onto PANI.
► PANI-MC electrode exhibited a better physical stability.
► PANI-MC electrode was used for determination of trace Cu2+ and Pb2+ by ASV analysis.