A nonenzymatic electrochemical nitrite sensor based on Pt nanoparticles loaded Ni(OH)2/multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites

- Pt/Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs nanocomposites were synthesized by employing Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs as the catalyst support.
- The coating of Ni(OH)2 onto MWCNTs improved the specific surface area of the nanohybrids for metals nanoparticles growth.
- This sensor exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic performance for nitrite detection.

In this paper, a sensitive novel non-enzymatic nitrite electrochemical sensor based on Pt nanoparticles loaded Ni(OH)2/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes nanocomposites (Pt/Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs) was described. The composition and morphology of the Pt/Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscope and investigated energy dispersive X-ray spectra respectively. Results showed that the Pt nanoparticles could be anchored on the surface of the Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs uniformly through a simple reduction process. The electrochemical investigation of the sensor revealed that the Pt/Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs exhibited remarkable electrocatalytic performance toward nitrite oxidation, with a sensitivity of 145 μA mM− 1 cm− 2 and a low detection limit of 0.13 mM. Moreover, the obtained Pt/Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs modified GCE with excellent reproducibility and selectivity also allows for practical application. It is expected that the combination of noble metal with Ni(OH)2/MWCNTs could be expanded to enhance the catalytic performances of nanocomposites and used for the construction of high-sensitive electrochemical sensors.

The combination of Ni(OH)2 and MWCNTs was used as an effective supporting substrate for the loading of Pt nanoparticles.100