Determination of mercury using a glassy carbon electrode modified with nano TiO2 and multi-walled carbon nanotubes composites dispersed in a novel cationic surfactant

Abstract A glassy carbon electrode modified with nano TiO 2 and multi-walled carbon nanotubes composites dispersed in a novel cationic surfactant was described for the determination of trace mercury(II) by linear anodic stripping voltammetry. Under optimal experimental conditions, the linear sweep anodic stripping peak current was linear with the concentration of Hg(II) in the range of 0.1–100 μmol L −1 with a detection limit of 0.025 μmol L −1 . The sensitivity was found to be 3.7014 A/mol L −1 . The proposed electrode also showed a high selectivity for mercury in the presence of common potential interfering metal ions. Moreover, the proposed electrode revealed good reproducibility and stability. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of Hg(II) in river water and industrial wastewater samples.