Nafion/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes/Mesoporous Silica Composite Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for the Simultaneous Electrochemical Determination of Indigo Carmine and Carbendazim by Differential Pulse Voltammetry

Abstract

A simple and reliable method based on a composite of Nafion (Naf), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and mesoporous silica (SBA-15) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is reported for individual and simultaneous determination of indigo carmine (IC, dye) and carbendazim (CBZ, pesticide). SBA-15 was synthesized and characterized and used to design a GCE/Naf/MWCNTs/SBA-15 sensor, which was characterized by electrochemical techniques and used for the determination of IC and CBZ. Using the optimum conditions for differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), the peak currents were linear from 1.0 µM to 11.0 µM. The limits of detection for individual measurements were 0.50 µM and 0.57 µM for IC and CBZ, respectively, while those for simultaneous detection were 0.28 µM and 0.30 µM. The interferences studies show that GCE/Naf/MWCNTs/SBA-15 exhibited excellent selectivity. The developed procedure was successfully applied to determine IC and CBZ in spring, tap, and lake water.

Keywords:

• Carbendazim
• differential pulse voltammetry
• glassy carbon electrode
• indigo carmine
• mesoporous silica
• multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Authors’ contributions

Sengor Gabou Fogang: Lab investigation, data collection, and writing original draft. Gullit Deffo: Lab investigation, data collection, writing original draft, and editing. Léopoldine Sonfack Guenang: Lab investigation (synthesis) and data collection. Ranil Clément Tonleu Temgoua: Formal analysis and validation (electrochemistry). Evangéline Njanja: Conceptualization, review, editing and supervision. Ignas Kenfack Tonlé: Review, editing, and validation (electrochemistry). Asim Bhaumik: Validation (synthesis) and review. Emmanuel Ngameni: Project administration, supervision.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that influenced the work reported in this article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the support of the International Foundation for Science (Grant no.W/5859-1 awarded to Prof. Njanja E.). Financial support from The World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Science in Developing Countries (RGA 19-257 RG/CHE/AF/AC_G-FR3240310134) and the support of the African Network of Electroanalytical Chemists (ANEC) are gratefully acknowledged. CV Raman fellowship is warmly acknowledged for the grant no. INT/NAI/CVRF/2014 awarded to Dr Guenang L.