2-(Anthracen-9-yl)benzothiazole-modified graphene oxide-nickel ferrite nanocomposite for anodic stripping voltammetric detection of heavy metal ions.

A novel electrochemical sensor, 2-(anthracen-9-yl)benzothiazole (ABT)-modified nickel ferrite reduced graphene oxide (NF@rGO) has been designed for the individual and simultaneous detection of Cd2+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ ions. Herein, NF@rGO nanocomposite, synthesized by a simple hydrothermal methodology, was hooked to ABT under easy and simple stirring conditions. Chelation of active functional groups of ABT with metal ions was augmented with higher adsorption and conductivity provided by NF@rGO. The created synergy resulted in analytical signals via selective oxidation of the ions within a potential ranging from - 1.2 to + 1.2 V vs sat. KCl. The proposed protocol exhibited a wide linear range from 0.05 to 1250 nM with excellent detection limit of 123, 54.1, and 86.6 pM via anodic stripping voltammetry for the simultaneous determination of Cd2+, Cu2+, and Hg2+ ions, respectively. Simple cost-effective synthetic approach, improved sensitivity with high selectivity, noteworthy repeatability (RSD less than 3%), and reproducibility (RSD less than 7%) equipped with successful real time monitoring (apparent recovery more than 90%) bring about a spiffing sensing platform for the detection of hazardous metal ions.