Nitrite Oxidation with Copper-Cobalt Nanoparticles on Carbon Nanotubes Doped Conducting Polymer PEDOT Composite

Copper-cobalt bimetal nanoparticles (Cu-Co) have been electrochemically prepared on glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs), which were electrodeposited with conducting polymer nanocomposites of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Owing to their good conductivity, high mechanical strength, and large surface area, the PEDOT/CNTs composites offered excellent substrates for the electrochemical deposition of Cu-Co nanoparticles. As a result of their nanostructure and the synergic effect between Cu and Co, the Cu-Co/PEDOT/CNTs composites exhibited significantly enhanced catalytic activity towards the electrochemical oxidation of nitrite. Under optimized conditions, the nanocomposite-modified electrodes had a fast response time within 2 s and a linear range from 0.5 to 430 μm for the detection of nitrite, with a detection limit of 60 nm. Moreover, the Cu-Co/PEDOT/CNTs composites were highly stable, and the prepared nitrite sensors could retain more than 96 % of their initial response after 30 days.