Carbon-based Composite Electrodes: Preparation, Characterization and Application in Electroanalysis

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Development of novel electrode materials is crucial for sensitive and selective chemical sensing.
• Carbon-based composites offer tunable properties for electrochemical applications.
• Environmental monitoring requires robust and efficient analytical tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize expanded graphite (EG)-epoxy and EG-polystyrene composite electrodes.
• To evaluate the performance of these electrodes as anodic sensors for detecting thiourea (TU).
• To assess the feasibility of direct analysis of environmental samples using these novel electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of 20% wt. expanded graphite-epoxy (20EG-Epoxy) and 20% wt. expanded graphite-polystyrene (20EG-PS) composite electrodes.
• Characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV).
• Electrochemical sensing of thiourea (TU) using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry.

Main Results:

• The 20EG-Epoxy and 20EG-PS electrodes demonstrated good mechanical strength and low electrical resistance.
• Cyclic voltammetry responses were consistent with a random array of microelectrodes.
• Successful detection of TU in tap water samples without additional supporting electrolyte using the 20EG-Epoxy electrode.

Conclusions:

• The developed expanded graphite composite electrodes are suitable for electrochemical sensing.
• The 20EG-Epoxy electrode enables direct and effective detection of thiourea in environmental water samples.
• These findings highlight the potential of EG-based composites for environmental monitoring applications.