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Electrochemical sensor for formaldehyde based on Pt–Pd nanoparticles and a Nafion-modified glassy carbon electrode

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Abstract

A novel electrochemical sensor for the determination of formaldehyde is introduced based on electrodepositing nanostructured platinum–palladium alloy in Nafion film-coated glassy carbon electrode. Bimetallic Pt–Pd nanoparticles are found to be uniformly dispersed in Nafion film, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopic analysis. Energy dispersed X-ray analysis is used to characterize the composition of metal present in the nanoparticle-modified electrodes. The electrocatalytical behavior of the electrode is investigated by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry. Experimental results show that the electrode displays a remarked electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of formaldehyde and exhibits a linear relationship in the range of 10 μM to 1 mM, with a detection limit of 3 μM in acidic solution. The low detection limit, wide linear range, and high sensitivity of the sensor make it valuable for further application.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20247002), “National Basic Research (973) Program” Project (No. 2005CB724201) of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 8062010, 8012007), and the Beijing Municipal Education Commission Scientific and Technological Project Foundation (No. Km200310005008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100022, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong-Liang Zhou, Tian-Fang Kang, Yan Zhang & Shui-Yuan Cheng

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  1. Zhong-Liang Zhou
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  2. Tian-Fang Kang
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  3. Yan Zhang
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  4. Shui-Yuan Cheng
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Correspondence to Tian-Fang Kang.

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Zhou, ZL., Kang, TF., Zhang, Y. et al. Electrochemical sensor for formaldehyde based on Pt–Pd nanoparticles and a Nafion-modified glassy carbon electrode. Microchim Acta 164, 133–138 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-008-0046-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-008-0046-x

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