MWNT/Nafion composite modified glassy carbon electrode as the voltammetric sensor for sensitive determination of 8-hydroxyquinoline in cosmetic

In this paper, a multiwall carbon nanotube/Nafion composite modified glassy carbon electrode (MWNT/Nafion/GCE) was used as a voltammetric sensor to determine 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) in cosmetic. This voltammetric sensor exhibited strong catalytic effect toward the oxidation of 8-HQ and caused an anodic peak at 0.97 V in HAc-NaAc buffer solution (0.2 M, pH 3.6). Under the optimized condition, the anodic peak current was linear with the concentration of 8-HQ in the range of 2 × 10−8 M–1.0 × 10−5 M. The detection limit was 9 × 10−9 M. The practical application of MWNT/Nafion/GCE was carried out for determining 8-HQ in cosmetic sample with satisfactory results. The electrode reaction mechanism was studied by cyclic voltammetry and UV–vis spectra.

Research highlights
► MWNT/Nafion/GCE showed promising electrocatalysis toward the oxidation of 8-HQ.
► This method has wide wide linear rage, high sensitivity and selectivity.
► This method is environment-friendly and low-cost.
► It was the first report about determining 8-HQ in cosmetic by electroanalysis.