Nanostructured electrode using CMK-8/CuNPs platform for herbicide detection in environmental samples

Abstract

A simple and sensitive nanostructured electrode was designed by electrodepositing copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with an ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-8) in order to detect glyphosate (GLY) in river water samples. CMK-8 was immobilized onto an SPCE using chitosan polymer (CH) as a binder, followed by CuNPs electrodeposition. CuNPs/CMK-8-CH/SPCE was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. CMK-8 has a high specific surface area, large pore volume, uniform mesostructure, good conductivity, and excellent electrochemical activity. This mesoporous carbon material provides the sensitivity for the indirectly electrochemical determination of GLY by square wave voltammetry. The anodic currents increased proportionally to the concentrations of GLY due to a complexation process. The detection limit achieved by the designed electrochemical device was 0.09 ng mL−1 with a linear range from 0.3 ng mL−1 to 19.75 ng mL−1 with intra and inter-assay coefficients of variation below 5%. This electrochemical platform represents an attractive strategy for on-site GLY determination in environmental samples.