Involvement of Cu(II) in the electrocatalytic reduction of bromate on a disposable nano-copper oxide modified screen-printed carbon electrode: hair waving products as an example

• CuOSPCEs were prepared via electrodeposition of copper ions on bare SPCEs electrodes.
• The CuOSPCEs show an enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward bromate reduction.
• CuOSPE coupling with FIA demonstrates excellent analytical performance for bromate.
• High selectivity and sensitivity with low detection limit.

A disposable nano-copper oxide modified screen-printed carbon electrode (CuOSPCE) was developed as a quick and convenient method to identify the bromate content in hair waving products. The electrode was prepared via electrodeposition of copper ions on a bare screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). It was demonstrated that the nano-copper oxide on the SPCEs could significantly enhance the electrochemical reduction of bromate in weak acidic solutions. The analytical results indicate that CuOSPCE coupling with a flow injection analysis (FIA) system (CuOSPCE/FIA) is a sensitive method for the determination of the bromate. A wide linear range from 0.01 to 300 mg L−1 (66.27 to 1.99 × 106 nmol L−1) was observed, and a detection limit of 3.5 μg L−1 (23.19 nmol L−1) (DL, S/N = 3) was calculated. The results also indicated that both the sensitivity and the response time of CuOSPCE/FIA toward bromate were not affected by several anions. Furthermore, the CuOSPCE/FIA demonstrated extremely high recovery, ranging from 98.45% to 103.89%, as well as good accuracy compared to the results obtained by a standard iodometric method.

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