Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols
Published on: April 21, 2017
Zwitterionic Surfactant Modified Acetylene Black Paste Electrode for Highly Facile and Sensitive Determination of
Xiaoyun Wei1, Qiang Zhao2, Weixiang Wu3
1Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. m201475163@hust.edu.cn.
Abstract:
A electrochemical sensor for the highly sensitive detection of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) was fabricated based on acetylene black paste electrode (ABPE) modified with 3-(N,N-Dimethylpalmitylammonio) propanesulfonate (SB3-16) in this study. The peak current of TBBPA was significantly enhanced at SB3-16/ABPE compared with unmodified electrodes. To further improve the electrochemical performance of the modified electrode, corresponding experimental parameters such as the length of hydrophobic chains of zwitterionic surfactant, the concentration of SB3-16, pH value, and accumulation time were examined. The peak currents of TBBPA were found to be linearly correlated with its concentrations in the range of 1 nM to 1 µM, with a detection limit of 0.4 nM. Besides, a possible mechanism was also discussed, and the hydrophobic interaction between TBBPA and the surfactants was suggested to take a leading role in enhancing the responses. Finally, this sensor was successfully employed to detect TBBPA in water samples.

