Titanium carbide nanoparticles/ion-exchange polymer-based sensor for catalytic stripping determination of trace iron in coastal waters

We establish a novel nanoparticle/ion-exchange polymer-based sensor for selective and sensitive detection of trace iron (Fe3+) in coastal waters. Titanium carbide nanoparticles (nano-TiC) are used as a typical nanomaterial with promising physical and chemical properties to accelerate the electron transfer. Nafion is chosen as the widely used cation-exchange polymer to facilitate the preconcentration of Fe3+. Taking advantage of synergistic effects of nano-TiC and Nafion as well as the catalytic amplifying effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the excellent cathodic signal responses for the stripping determination of Fe3+ which is linear in the range of 0.07–70 μM with a detection limit of 7.2 nM can be obtained. This analytical method can be used to effectively and simply detect Fe3+ without using any complexing agents. The fabricated sensor has been successfully applied for the sensitive determination of Fe3+ in real coastal waters.