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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